When Star Wars Outlaws arrived on 30th August 2024, Ubisoft Massive’s open-world action-adventure offered something genuinely different: a Star Wars story that kept the Jedi, the Sith, and the Skywalker saga at arm’s length. At its centre is Kay Vess, described as an “emerging scoundrel,” a would-be crook fleeing her underworld boss and crossing paths with multiple crime syndicates across several planets. It is a premise that leans heavily into the grimy, lived-in textures of the galaxy far, far away rather than the mythic clash of lightsabers.

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The decision to focus on underworld intrigue is rooted in the game’s timeline. Star Wars Outlaws is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, a period when the original trilogy’s heroes are otherwise occupied. Han Solo is frozen in carbonite, Luke Skywalker is still adjusting to his new mechanical hand, and Leia Organa is presumably polishing her Huttese ahead of the rescue mission on Tatooine. Chewbacca is absent, R2-D2 is nowhere to be seen, and no one is building a Death Star. The lack of space wizards is not an oversight but a deliberate creative choice. Could it be that the galaxy feels more dangerous and more relatable when its heroes cannot simply ignite a laser sword and save the day?

That question shapes much of the game’s identity. Kay Vess is not a chosen one. She is a survivor, relying on a blaster, a stolen ship called the Trailblazer, and a small alien companion named Nix. The trailer montage shows her brawling with hoodlums, riding speeder bikes, and directing Nix to snatch blaster rifles from Stormtroopers. It is the kind of petty criminality that feels more in line with a scoundrel’s apprenticeship than a rebellion against tyranny. One might wonder whether the Empire was founded partly to deal with such chaos: from stealing pistols to overthrowing a government, the slippery slope is real. Darth Vader would likely have strong opinions about someone using the Trailblazer to hop between planets instead of leaving those planets available for superlaser target practice.

Visually, the planets themselves look like the strongest reason to play. In many ways, Star Wars Outlaws operates as a form of Star Wars tourism. Rather than chasing the next main-quest objective, players are encouraged to soak in the atmosphere of dusty frontier towns, neon-lit dens, and sprawling alien marketplaces. The developers behind The Division understand how to build scenic, lived-in spaces; even players who found that series’ combat uneven often praised its environmental detail. Here, that expertise is applied to a galaxy of contrasts. A quick breakdown of the tourism pitch might look like this:

Attraction Description
🪐 Planet-hopping Explore multiple worlds connected by Kay’s ship, the Trailblazer.
🐾 Nix, the alien companion A small creature who can distract guards and steal weapons.
🔫 Criminal syndicates Deal with different factions, including a cameo from Jabba the Hutt.
🏍️ Speeder bikes Cross open terrain at high speed, as shown in the trailer.
🚫 No Jedi or Sith The Force takes a back seat; this is a crime story first.

Yet for all its atmospheric appeal, some players have approached the combat and exploration with caution. The footage shown before launch suggested a familiar blend of stealth, shooting, and traversal rather than a revolutionary system. The real question is whether the pleasure of simply existing in a handcrafted Star Wars environment can carry the experience. Is it enough to wander scenic alleyways and broker deals with syndicates if the moment-to-moment action is merely serviceable? Judging by the early trailers, Ubisoft Massive seemed to think so, doubling down on texture, architecture, and the mundane detail of a galaxy under Imperial rule.

By 2026, that tourism angle remains the most distinctive part of the pitch. The idea of a Star Wars story with no Jedi may have surprised some, but it also opened space for the galaxy’s ordinary crooks, smugglers, and scoundrels. Whether Kay Vess ever truly becomes the next great Star Wars antihero is another matter. But there is something refreshing about a protagonist who survives by wit and blaster fire rather than destiny. Perhaps that is exactly what the franchise needed: a reminder that the galaxy is not only about Skywalkers and chosen ones, but also about the people trying to make a dishonest living in the shadows.