After the gameplay walkthrough video released alongside its announcement back in June 2023, I didn’t really need to see more to be convinced I was going to get Star Wars Outlaws when it releases. The latest lowdown on the game, a story trailer, an August 30 release date, and pre-order bonuses came in handy for my confirmation bias about how good this game really looks. The tenacious Kay Vess, her adorable merqaal Nix, and enforcer droid ND-5 mixing it up with the galactic underworld elite, all to secure her freedom to start a new life, and doing so in scoundrel-ific fashion, visiting locales like Akiva, Toshara, and returning to her home of Cantonica’s Canto Bight…what more could you want?! Head below for a little breakdown of the trailer, a few screengrabs, details on the pre-order options (and how much they’ll set you back credits-wise), and more!
One thing fans of the comics have been wondering for some time now is how much Star Wars Outlaws will reference the larger events which took place in their pages, from Qi’ra’s return as the head of the Crimson Dawn, provoking the Syndicate War, and trying to kill Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, as seen in War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, and Hidden Empire crossover events, would make its way into the game. The creators have said they are well aware of what all took place in the packed timeline between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and seeing how much of Outlaws is focused truly on Kay Vess’ own experiences navigating the criminal syndicates, mainly to get a target off her back from Sliro (the bearded, fur-coat wearing man who opens the trailer) and his Zerek Besh group and be free to choose whatever life she wants, it makes sense there will be overlap but I’m now imagining not as much since she’s dealing with a smaller set of jobs and situations that don’t seem to pertain as much to those larger events. Regardless, given how Zerek Besh were already seeded thanks to the comics, being mentioned in Crimson Reign #5 and seen first in Hidden Empire #1 (both out in 2022!), mayhaps things will get more wrapped up in the larger comic events after all. And if they were putting Zerek Besh in the comics that long ago, having Imperial Security Bureau Director Barsha obscured from view is another way the comics were setting up Outlaws, as maybe Barsha’s true identity is one of the game’s twists later on? And, as revealed by Game Informer after the trailer released, while we only see a representative of Crimson Dawn at Sliro’s table, Qi’ra will be in the game (though disappointingly not played by Emilia Clarke), so I look forward to learning how much you’ll be able to interact with her faction given what she all has going on around this time/how much you’ll hear about their exploits (and if Han Solo frozen in carbonite is back with Jabba the Hutt, then this at least takes place after the events of War of the Bounty Hunters and before Hidden Empire, most likely). In the end, I’m just happy to hear some of these things but the more I see of the game, the less I care about how deep Outlaws gets into that story and the more eager I get to see where Kay’s story gets.
Over on the game’s official page, there’s plenty of new details about the release, including a nice little section on the characters. It doesn’t give us much, but at least we have Jaylen Vrax’s full name, who is the gentleman many thought looked like Kyle Katarn of Jedi Knight game fame and in the newest trailer is the one who comes to Kay with the job of her lifetime (and is my guess for actually being ISB Director Barsha’s true identity, if that’s truly part of the game’s story), while we have a better look at Sliro’s lavish outfit. I wish they had one about Vail, though in the Star Wars blog’s interview with creative director Julian Gerighty of Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment, he elaborates about what it was like creating a new bounty hunter like her, that she’s going to be questioning her part in Sliro’s game (which we sort of see her push back at him in the trailer, saying there’s more going on with Kay then he let on), and how much they really want the person behind the hunter to be at the forefront. I really like her design, as it’s noted she has mechanical parts here and there, like fingers, so she’s had quite the life already, and I look forward to seeing if there’s a chance Kay can turn her around and join up as a team somehow! Overall from the trailer, I really enjoyed seeing some traversal situations, like Kay running around on top of builds Assassin’s Creed-style somewhat, her investigating wrecks and swinging around, being stealthy a lot, and that the speeder can run over water, which might be a little thing but looks to really open up the movement of the game. And then seeing big creatures, like the sarlacc or a krayt dragon, or even smaller ones minding their own business, as well as how populated the cities feel, there’s a great sense of place to the galaxy and I’m happy it doesn’t seem empty at all.
You can pre-order the game now, with the base edition coming in at $69.99 here in the US, though two special editions come with bonuses…and a bigger price tag, though with the rising costs of game development and the record pace the gaming industry is letting people go, these prices are to be expected (and maybe, hopefully, more games at this price can help prevent more loss of talent). In the “Gold Edition” at $109.99, players will get access to the game 3 days early, be purchasing a season pass for two upcoming story DLCs (downloadable content), and early access to an exclusive ‘Jabba’s Gambit’ mission (which deals with ND-5’s past with the notorious gangster. Exclusive missions like this have been made accessible to all fans after release before…), while the “Ultimate Edition” for $129.99 includes all the above, plus two special outfit/cosmetic packs (for Kay, her speeder, and the Trailblazer) and a digital art book. If you want to get the game day one (or three days early), I’d honestly say, if you can make it work, the “Gold Edition” will be the best bang for you buck without going the full “Ultimate,” as for me cosmetic options aren’t ever really a must (and I’d rather get a physical art book for that price), so you’ll be saving money in the long run since purchasing the two story DLCs will likely be more costly if done individually as they release (though that might be easier to swing for some). If you can wait to play it, I’m sure both the base Outlaws, and its DLC, will be on sale at one point in the future and I’m sure this will be worth such a wait.
We’ll bring more as it’s revealed, while expect a review sometime after the game releases, as while three early days would be helpful, it’s still going to take time for me to complete the game…especially since I feel like I’m going to want to just drive around and soak up the vibes. We’ll see August 30 when Star Wars Outlaws releases!!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.