We’ve known for a while that The Division developers Ubisoft Massive were working on a Star Wars game, and now we’ve finally gotten our first look at what’s coming next year. Star Wars Outlaws will see the player take control of Kay, a scoundrel and smuggler in the mold of Han Solo living life on the edge in a galaxy far, far away.
Yesterday’s debut trailer at the Xbox Showcase confirmed that this story will take place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, with Kay tangling with the Empire and bounty hunters as she attempts to pull off the one big score that’ll clear her debts. Though we didn’t see any gameplay, it’s looking like a fun action romp, though one pronouncement from the official Star Wars Twitter has raised some eyebrows:
So, is Outlaws really the first “open-world” Star Wars game? The problem is that open-world is very loosely defined, though most would agree the key components are a vast map you can explore at your leisure, a lot of side missions away from the main quest, and a sense of freedom to simply exist within a game rather than be in constant action.
But Star Wars already has a number of games that fit this description and fans aren’t shy about pointing them out. 2003 MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies was at least theoretically open world, though twenty years ago, the genre wasn’t anywhere near what it is now. That game’s follow-up, The Old Republic, also fits the bill. Even the recent Jedi: Survivor has a strong claim to be an open-world game with some linear sequences, with the Koboh and Jedha maps vast and packed with extra content.
We suspect that billing Outlaws as the first open-world Star Wars game is more a marketing decision than the developers’. Then again, if anyone knows how to do a humungous map crammed with secrets, it’s Ubisoft, so we’re eagerly awaiting the first gameplay footage to see what it’s cooking up.