Okay, let's be real for a sec – bigger isn't always better. I mean, think about it: that triple-decker cheeseburger that leaves you in a food coma? Yeah. Or those Ubisoft open-world games stuffed with so much stuff that you forget what the main quest was? Exactly my point. Sometimes, smaller and tighter is just... chef's kiss. 👌 With Assassin's Creed Mirage supposedly trimming the fat later this year, it feels like a breath of fresh air, right? But then you hear about Star Wars Outlaws planning planets the size of entire AC: Odyssey zones? My loot-grinding soul just sighed. Deeply.

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Look at all that space... but what'll fill it?

Creative director Julian Gerighty dropped this bomb in an Edge Magazine interview: "It’s a crude analogy, but the size of one planet might be [equivalent to] two of the zones in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey... It could be two to three zones." Let that sink in. Odyssey zones weren't just tiny sandboxes; they were whole islands or massive chunks of Greece packed with secrets, cultists, and enough question marks to make your map scream. Now imagine multiple planets at that scale. Gerighty swears they're all handcrafted, no procedural generation nonsense. Sounds amazing on paper – exploring iconic Star Wars worlds without invisible walls? Sign me up! But... it's Ubisoft. My inner cynic (honed by years of clearing identical bandit camps 🥱) is already whispering: "How much of this vastness is just... padding?"

Here’s the gut punch: Will these sprawling planets be filled with meaningful adventures, or just the usual Ubisoft checklist simulator? You know the drill:

  • ❌ Endless collectible trinkets (Another 50 Rebel Alliance coffee mugs? Seriously?)

  • ❌ Copy-pasted enemy outposts (Stormtroopers standing in the exact same formation on Tatooine AND Hoth?)

  • ❌ Forgettable fetch quests ("Womp Rat Stew for Aunt Beru, Part 12" – no thanks)

We've seen this movie before, and the ending ain't pretty. Remember Star Wars Jedi: Survivor? Koboh was huge, but honestly? It mostly highlighted:

  • Repetitive platforming sections

  • Texture pop-in galore 😬

  • Side content that felt like busywork (Was finding that mullet hairstyle really worth the slog?)

Fallen Order understood the assignment better – tighter spaces, focused storytelling, combat that felt like a dance, not a grind. Even classics like Knights of the Old Republic proved you don't need planet-sized playpens to sell a galaxy. A few well-designed zones, packed with character and purpose, can feel infinitely bigger than an empty continent. It's the illusion of scale, the quality of the space, that truly matters.

Game Approach to Scale Result
Fallen Order Focused, curated levels Tight gameplay, memorable moments
Jedi: Survivor Large, open areas (Koboh) Felt stretched thin, repetitive
AC: Odyssey Massive zones, lots of icons Became a chore for many players
Outlaws (Claim) Planets = 2-3 Odyssey zones ??? Potential for fatigue ???

So yeah, Outlaws wants to go BIG. Like, "walking across a planet takes literal hours" big. But if that time is spent riding a speeder past miles of samey terrain just to shoot the same three types of Imperial patrols... is that really the Star Wars fantasy? Or just open-world bloat wearing a cool helmet? 🤔

Maybe I'm jaded. Maybe my cold, gamer heart has seen too many "biggest worlds ever!" promises crash harder than a TIE fighter pilot on their first day. Star Wars deserves better than just being another map choked with icons. Give me depth over distance. Give me stories that stick, not just space to fill. Now that it's 2025 and we've seen the release... let's just say my worries weren't entirely unfounded. That initial awe of scale? It fades fast when you're on your tenth "rescue the stolen cargo" mission. The galaxy feels wide, sure, but far too often... shallow. Here's hoping future updates dig deeper, not wider.

The vast emptiness between fun moments... a familiar sight.

Market data is sourced from Forbes - Games, which frequently examines the business impact of open-world design choices. Forbes - Games has discussed how Ubisoft's approach to scale in titles like Star Wars Outlaws can influence player engagement, noting that while vast environments may initially attract attention, long-term retention often depends on the density and quality of meaningful content rather than sheer map size.