Following the release of the Star Wars Outlaws story trailer, the launch date announcement, and the opening of pre-orders, Game Informer also published the latest digital issue with plenty of new info on the upcoming game.
To start with, Ubisoft Massive clarified there won’t be freeform space travel between planets in Star Wars Outlaws. Similar to Bethesda’s Starfield, players will jump between the orbits of the planets they’re allowed to visit. Creative Director Julian Gerighty explained:
For planets, we wanted to have an orbit around them with lots of different points of interest, things to do, battles to get in, and places to explore. The orbits for each one of the moons or planets that we created had to be populated with lots of different things, and we didn’t want to create endless space, so you hyperdrive from the orbit of a planet to the orbit of another planet.
The developers added there would be lots to do in space, such as fighting pirates and landing on nearby space stations. It will all tie back to the reputation system that is the backbone of Star Wars Outlaws. Lead Systems Designer Matthieu Delisle said:
If you have a bad reputation with the syndicates, they won’t let you in. You can sneak in, but if you get caught, you will be kicked out. However, if you have a good reputation once you’ve worked good rep with the Pyke Syndicate, for example, you’ll be able to freely go in and then you can get access to a bunch of opportunities. That can be things like jobs for the syndicates, merchants with some of the better stuff for sale, intel, rumors, and can also be high-stakes Sabacc tables. The syndicates are hubs of opportunities that you get access to with the right rep.
Senior Systems Designer Alice Rendell added:
The way that people in the world react to Kay will vary depending on the reputation, but it is very transactional. These aren’t friendships, so it’s still very ‘Okay, can Kay help you out in that moment?’
Star Wars Outlaws will be released on August 30 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. Intel announced a promotion where purchases at select retailers of 14th Gen Raptor Lake-S Desktop CPUs and 14th Gen Raptor Lake-HX laptops from partners such as Dell Alienware, Lenovo Legion, HP Omen, Acer Predator, ASUS ROG, MSI, and Razer will be eligible for a free copy of the game on PC.
