Star Wars Outlaws Director Speaks Out After Backlash

The new Star Wars Outlaws game continues to be a topic of debate online. As much as I would say that this discourse involves the gameplay, by this point, we all know better. In this debate, poor character design and overpricing take center stage. Add a deeply unpopular game developer and a declining IP, and together, it spells disaster. Thus, before we jump into the response from the creative director of the Star Wars Outlaws, let’s quickly recap everything.

As stated, a new Star Wars game is coming. The lead protagonist is what many would describe as a poorly designed woman. While I am not overly fond of the design, I do think the problems surrounding this title go deeper. Now, obviously, this was always going to be a hot-button issue for many, considering the recent discourse surrounding certain designs. The biggest sticking point for me personally is the horrible pricing. The base game for $70 is almost completely stripped of all content. In order to experience all the missions, you need to pay $130.

You can play the game for a $18 per month subscription, but most people are not fond of this option for obvious reasons. Just last year, the Ubisoft SEO stated that gamers should get used to not owning their games. While that statement was slightly taken out of context, the trust in Ubisoft is no longer there. Now there are certain fans who continue to hold out and hope that this game will be good. However, the Star Wars IP has been a disappointment for years now. There has been a decline in the number of movies and series; therefore, most do not expect much from the game.

Star Wars Outlaws Director Responds

When Disney licenses its IP, it is clear that it is looking for a certain type of narrative. That narrative is what they call, “for a modern audience”. This is exactly how Creative Director Julian Gerighty describes his new lead protagonist. Regarding the lead character, he says, “I think she’s a much more modern protagonist than we usually see in games.” “She’s somebody who is very much a street thief who gets thrown into things that are beyond her control, and that she kind of has to think her way out of, and that makes it a little bit more relatable than somebody who has all the confidence and sarcasm and just comes off as somebody who is not believable.”

“So having her be relatable in that way was something extremely important for us.” Now, there are a couple of things that we need to unpack here. In my observation, people love realistic graphics but not so much realistic scenarios in games. People usually play games to escape those. However, the biggest objection here would likely be the term modern protagonist. Whenever people hear that something has been updated for a modern audience, they immediately pull back. Those were the famous last words of the Saints Row Reboot and many other IPs just like it.

I also hate to say this, but there is also no modern audience in video games. The audience has always been the same. There might be a modern audience on Twitter and Facebook, but those people do not play games. They just complain about them. Now, granted, complaining is all that I do as well, but my point still stands.

Conclusion

Overall, there is still hope that this game can turn out somewhat decent. While it is hard to remember the last time Ubisoft released a good game, there is always a chance. The signs might be there, but I will reserve my major opinions until the release. Against my better judgment, I will give the title a fair shake.