“The Outer rim is a dangerous place. Everyone is fighting for their piece of the galaxy. But all I want is to live free.”

Today, Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games released the official story trailer and launch date for Star Wars: Outlaws, the first open-world game in the Star Wars franchise.

Watch the trailer below, and pre-order your copy for the August 30^th release before reading on!

Centered around scoundrel Kay Vess (Humberly González) and her companion Nix (Dee Bradley Baker), Outlaws takes place in the time between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Vess and Nix get mixed up in dirty business between the crime syndicates, and the trailer shows representatives from some of the most well-known ones, including the Pykes and the infamous Crimson Dawn.

New Faces, New Places

Though the game borrows some old faces and organizations from other Star Wars stories, it also introduces some brand-new creations. Among these are wealthy, nefarious Sliro and his crime syndicate, Zerek Besh. In an interview with Dan Brooks for StarWars.com, creative director Julian Gerighty said Sliro’s and Kay’s paths cross when “Kay finds herself on the run from one of the largest bounties ever placed on anybody in the galaxy.”

To make their still-mysterious relationship even more complicated, Kay becomes entangled with another new character, Jaylen, who hires her to steal from Sliro himself. Gerighty likens Kay and Jaylen’s dynamic to that of a mentor/mentee. Perhaps similar to what we see between a young Han Solo (also a scoundrel) and thief Tobias Beckett in Solo: A Star Wars Story?

In the same interview, Gerighty doesn’t deny the connection. “We were always coming back to, ‘What is a scoundrel? What is this archetype within the Star Wars galaxy?’”

In addition to new characters, Outlaws promises to bring players to new locations, too. From further exploration of Tattooine, Canto Bight, Kijimi, and the Aftermath book trilogy’s Akiva to the entirely new planet of Toshara (created by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games), players are set to be more fully immersed in this game than any other Star Wars game of the past.

Add the ability to pilot Kay’s ship, the Trailblazer, through space, and Outlaws truly sounds like a ground-breaking advancement for the Star Wars franchise.

The only question I have now is: will we be able to pet Nix? Star Wars: Outlaws launches August 30^th, 2024 on Xbox Series X|S consoles, PlayStation 5, Amazon Luna, and PC through Ubisoft Connect.

Also Check Out: 

2024 Tech and Gaming – Retro Rebel Podcast Episode 176