The galaxy is in uproar, and it's not because of the Empire's latest superweapon. No, the outrage stems from the corporate boardrooms of Ubisoft, where a decision of truly Sith-like cunning has been made. In a move that has sent shockwaves through the gaming underworld, the highly anticipated open-world adventure Star Wars Outlaws , developed by Massive Entertainment, has decided to lock one of its most iconic and beloved villainous encounters behind a premium paywall. The mission, titled Jabba's Gambit, featuring the legendary crime lord Jabba the Hutt, will be exclusive to the game's Season Pass at launch. This means players who opt for the standard $69.99 experience will find a glaring, Hutt-sized hole in their criminal escapades, unable to access a key story mission involving a central figure from the trailers.

Imagine the scene: Kay Vess, the game's scrappy protagonist, is deep in her quest to assemble a crew for the "biggest heist the Outer Rim has ever seen." Her journey through the criminal syndicates—the shadowy Pykes, the brutal Crimson Dawn, the mysterious Ashiga, and the gluttonous Hutts—is the core of the experience. Fans were electrified by the recent story trailer, which showed a tense meeting between Kay and Jabba himself, his guards ominously positioning her over the dreaded Rancor pit. The promise of navigating these dangerous dealings was a major selling point. Now, Ubisoft has essentially cordoned off a section of that promised underworld with a velvet rope and a bouncer demanding extra credits.

star-wars-outlaws-jabba-mission-sparks-fury-as-season-pass-exclusive-image-0

The details of the locked mission only add fuel to the fiery disdain. The synopsis for Jabba's Gambit reads: "Just as Kay is putting together a crew for the Canto Bight heist, she receives a job from Jabba the Hutt himself. Turns out that ND-5 owes Jabba a debt from years ago, and he has come to collect..." This isn't some throwaway side activity; it's a narrative thread directly involving Kay's crewmate ND-5 and a direct assignment from the galaxy's most infamous gangster. The community is left wondering: Is this the only mission with Jabba, or merely the first? Is the thrilling pit scene from the trailer part of this paywalled content? The lack of clarity is as frustrating as a malfunctioning hyperdrive.

The pricing structure for **Star Wars Outlaws ** was already a point of contention, a veritable Death Star of monetization strategies looming over the release:

Edition Price Key Inclusions
Standard $69.99 Base Game
Gold $109.99 Base Game + Season Pass
Ultimate $129.99 Base Game + Season Pass + Extra Cosmetics

The Season Pass itself contains:

  • ✅ 2 upcoming story DLCs (eventually)

  • ✅ An exclusive "Kessel Runner" character cosmetic pack

  • ✅ EXCLUSIVE LAUNCH ACCESS TO Jabba's Gambit Mission

This means that in 2026, to play a mission featuring one of Star Wars' most recognizable villains at launch, players must shell out for the $109.99 Gold Edition or higher. The argument that the pass includes future DLC rings hollow when a core, present-day story mission is held hostage. Ubisoft's wording that the mission is exclusive to the pass "at launch" offers a sliver of hope it may be sold separately later, but that does little to cool the tempers of fans who feel this is a predatory tactic. It transforms the Season Pass from a promise of future content into a key required to unlock parts of the base game's advertised world.

Reactions across the holonet have been blistering. 😡 Many see this as an exploitative new low, a move that fragments the player base and compromises narrative integrity for the sake of upselling more expensive editions. The phrase "pay-to-play-the-full-story" is being thrown around with alarming frequency. While cosmetic items and post-launch expansions are common Season Pass fodder, gatekeeping a mission with a major cinematic villain feels like crossing a line into the dark side of monetization. For a game centered on reputation and trust within the criminal underworld, Ubisoft's own reputation is taking a serious hit before the game even launches. The force is certainly not with this decision.