What Went Wrong With Star Wars Outlaws

Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws had enormous potential, but ultimately failed to deliver on its promise. On paper, an open-world adventure set in a galaxy far, far away seemed like a guaranteed success. With one of the most recognizable IPs in history, expectations couldn’t be higher. Yet, when the game finally launched, it stumbled out of the gate and continued to flounder. Not even the Star Wars name could save Ubisoft’s big bet. But why did Star Wars Outlaws fail where Star Wars Jedi: Survivor succeeded only a year prior? The answer is multifaceted, as there is no one reason why Star Wars Outlaws disappointed.

There remain three critical reasons why Star Wars Outlaws flopped and failed to reach Ubisoft’s expectations. The publisher’s odd choices and doubling down on them, day one paywalled content, and an all too familiar gameplay loop that showed its age. Smaller reasons, such as the forced stealth, or choosing a protagonist that was neither Jedi or Sith, further led to Star Wars Outlaws’ sealed fate.

Brand Fatigue and Misguided Choices

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot chalked up Star Wars Outlaws’ failure to brand fatigue. He blamed the game’s underperformance on the brand, as he believed that Star Wars Outlaws was released at a time when Star Wars was oversaturated and failing to deliver on other fronts. TV shows like The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew, and Tales of the Empire had diluted interest in the brand, leaving Star Wars Outlaws in a precarious position.

However, this seems like a convenient excuse and feels like Guillemot is blaming fans for Ubisoft’s shortcomings. Other Star Wars media have seen positive receptions, so it seems odd to use this as an example. No, it was the misguided decisions and a series of bugs, clunky gameplay, and poor design choices that did most of the damage. Even with post-launch patches, which were admittedly good and largely succeeded in delivering what the studio wanted, Star Wars Outlaws’ reputation had already been tarnished, and many gave up on the game after Guillemot’s comments and refusal to accept responsibility.

Modern Gaming’s Gatekeeping Shut the Door on Star Wars Outlaws

Another area where Ubisoft misstepped was locking content away on day one when Star Wars Outlaws launched. The Jabba’s Gambit mission was only available to those who purchased the Gold or Ultimate Editions. Denying content to most players at release left many with a bad impression, and some completely wrote Star Wars Outlaws off as a blatant cash grab.

Ubisoft later clarified that Jabba the Hutt would appear in the main story and was not locking this iconic character behind a paywall. However, even though the special mission was considered optional content tied to the Season Pass, fans saw it as problematic in a single-player game, especially given that it was ready by launch. Simply including this content as a bonus or in the base game would have alleviated some of the frustrations fans felt with Star Wars Outlaws.

Dated Gameplay That Fails to Innovate

One of the worst offenders that led to a poor launch for Star Wars Outlaws was its gameplay. It followed Ubisoft’s classic open-world formula, solo protagonist roaming, unlocking points of interest, forced stealth segments, fetch quests, and restrictive combat. Critics and fans felt that not enough was done to differentiate it from other Ubisoft open-world games. Had Ubisoft experimented with Star Wars Outlaws like it did with Far Cry Primal, it may have been received better.

Additionally, the character animations and dialogue felt dated for a title released in 2024. Ignoring the drama surrounding the actress for Kay Vess, the game was criticized for being ugly and looking lifeless. Awkward movement, bland shooting, inconsistent AI, and poor ship-to-ship combat culminated in a stale experience rather than a brand new game. The game was blasted even after launch when DLC was released, showing it could not turn its reputation around like No Man’s Sky.

In an era where fans have been eagerly awaiting the remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Ubisoft should have been able to capitalize on this void with Star Wars Outlaws. But the developer misjudged the branding, opting for a protagonist who was not a Jedi and blaming fans when this failed. Monetization and recycled gameplay overshadowed the vision of what could have been.

While Star Wars Outlaws may fade into obscurity, several lessons for developers are clear and will be its legacy. Do not let corporate greed and monetization overshadow value, don’t ignore the need for gameplay innovation, and under no circumstances turn the blame onto your fans.