Honestly, I didn’t see this one coming. Back in June 2023, Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment pulled back the curtain on Star Wars Outlaws, and I remember sitting there as a regular player thinking, finally, a Star Wars game that lets me be the one picking pockets instead of saving the galaxy. Now, in 2026, looking back at that reveal still gives me that same itchy trigger finger.

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The pitch was simple and, for me, irresistible: an original story set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The Empire is breathing down everyone’s neck, chasing the last scraps of the Rebel Alliance, while the criminal underworld quietly thrives in the shadows. You know what? That’s the Star Wars I want to live in for a few dozen hours. Not as a Jedi. Not as a soldier. As a scoundrel. The galaxy doesn’t hand you a medal; it hands you a bounty and a smirk. I was in.

Massive Entertainment, the studio behind The Division, led development, and Ubisoft confirmed that nine studios were collaborating on the project. That’s a lot of hands on one starship, but the ambition made sense. The first truly open-world Star Wars game? That’s a big promise. Douglas Reilly, VP of Lucasfilm Games, framed it as an action-adventure filled with characters and planets both new and well-known. I mean, who wouldn’t want that?

The story follows Kay Vess, a cunning scoundrel brought to life by Humberly González, and her loyal companion Nix, played by Dee Bradley Baker. Together they attempt one of the greatest heists the Outer Rim has ever seen. Kay isn’t a chosen one. She’s a survivor with a plan, a ship full of trouble, and a little creature who has her back. The galaxy whispers promises to people like her, then charges interest. I love that. It’s the scoundrel fantasy without the safety net.

Element Detail
Protagonist Kay Vess, a cunning scoundrel
Companion Nix, a loyal companion
Performers Humberly González and Dee Bradley Baker
Era Between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi
Premise A massive heist across the Outer Rim’s crime syndicates

Julian Gerighty, creative director at Massive, explained that when the team first imagined an open-world Star Wars game, they explored where and when it could take place and quickly realized they had the right ingredients for a scoundrel’s journey. Outlaws live under the Empire’s thumb, but they still find opportunities in the turmoil. The time was ripe for a new outlaw to make a name, and Kay Vess was written in the stars. That quote stuck with me. It’s not about destiny; it’s about opportunity. And opportunity, in Star Wars, usually comes with a blaster and a bad idea.

Ubisoft also announced that gameplay footage would be shown on June 12 during the Ubisoft Forward event. Not gonna lie, I cleared my evening for that. I remember refreshing the page like a nervous pilot, waiting to see if the fantasy would actually look like a game. The reveal promised fighting, stealing, and outwitting your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Join the galaxy’s most wanted? That’s a bucket-list item I didn’t know I had.

The collaboration list was impressive: Ubisoft Annecy, Bucharest, Chengdu, Milan, Montpellier, Shanghai, Toronto, and Paris, all working alongside Massive. That’s a small fleet. Here’s the table I scribbled into my notes at the time:

Studio Role in the fleet
Massive Entertainment Lead development
Ubisoft Annecy Support
Ubisoft Bucharest Support
Ubisoft Chengdu Support
Ubisoft Milan Support
Ubisoft Montpellier Support
Ubisoft Shanghai Support
Ubisoft Toronto Support
Ubisoft Paris Support

I’m not a developer, and I won’t pretend to understand what nine studios do on one game. But as a player, I felt the weight of it. The Outer Rim doesn’t build itself. The criminal underworld needs texture, noise, and a hundred little corners where bad decisions can bloom. The galaxy doesn’t wait for you to be ready; it just opens a door and dares you to step through.

Looking back from 2026, the announcement still feels like a turning point. Star Wars games have given me lightsabers and starfighters, but Outlaws offered something rarer: a chance to be the person on the fringe, the one who survives by wit and nerve. The Empire can keep its grand battles. I’ll take the shady cantina, the unreliable job, and the companion who bites when negotiations fail.

And yeah, I’m still a sucker for a good heist. The Outer Rim still calls. If that makes me a scoundrel, fine. At least I’ll have Nix watching my back.