Star Wars Outlaws and the Problems of Modern Star Wars

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Star Wars Outlaws can be considered a game with mixed success. At the time of its release in August 2024, the adventures of smuggler Kay Vess were received with restraint. Despite the average Metacritic score reaching 75 from industry publications, reviews from regular players have been less enthusiastic. At the time of writing, the user rating on this aggregator is only 5.3 out of 10. The situation is slightly better on Steam, where player reviews are mostly positive, but some negative opinions are also present. Thus, Star Wars Outlaws evokes mixed feelings among both critics and users, calling into question its overall success within the franchise.

Star Wars Outlaws' financial performance leaves much to be desired. In its first month of release, the game sold only one million copies. By comparison, the action game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order from EA and Respawn sold over 8 million copies during the same period from November 2019 to January 2020. Its sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, has seen similar success. Speaking about the audience for Star Wars films and TV series, it's hard to find a person who hasn't seen at least a fragment of an episode or who doesn't know about the existence of this cult franchise.

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Throughout the year, many highly anticipated releases have become real hits. Players were able to enjoy a variety of genres, from action games to role-playing games, each bringing something unique to the table. Developers not only improved graphics and gameplay, but also focused on storylines, creating deeper and more emotionally charged stories.

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The low interest in the Star Wars Outlaws game among players can be explained Two major factors are frequently cited in reviews and analysis. The first is the bugs and technical issues that Massive Entertainment has been tackling for months. As a result, players can enjoy Kay Vess's adventures as they were originally intended. The second factor negatively impacting the game's reception is its design flaws, including ineffective stealth, awkward shooting mechanics, and inadequate artificial intelligence. However, it's worth noting that many of these issues have been successfully addressed in updates, improving the overall gaming experience. Despite the efforts of the developers, who have already improved Star Wars Outlaws since its initial release and continue to work on the project, it's unlikely the player base will grow significantly, which could lead to belated commercial success. The main reasons for this lie not only in the game's tarnished reputation and disappointed fan expectations, but also in the overabundance of Star Wars content. This overabundance increasingly ignores the interests and desires of fans, which undoubtedly affects the project's reception. Thus, Star Wars Outlaws risks remaining one of the least successful games in this universe, despite all efforts to improve it.

The Star Wars universe has always been distinguished by its diversity of formats and has not been limited to feature-length films. Since the release of the original episode, known as "A New Hope", in the late 1970s, the franchise's creator, George Lucas, has actively expanded its boundaries. In 1978, the Star Wars Holiday Special, a television film dedicated to the Christmas holiday, was released, which resembled a theatrical production. It was in this special that the bounty hunter Boba Fett first appeared, becoming one of the most memorable and iconic characters in the Star Wars universe.

The expansion of the Star Wars universe and its transformation into a large-scale media franchise continued actively in the 1980s. During this period, alongside the release of Episodes II and III, Star Wars television series such as Star Wars: Droids, The Ewok Adventure, and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor began airing. However, this wasn't the only direction the franchise was going: comics from Marvel and Dark Horse, as well as toys, books, and various merchandise, entered the market. In 1987, the first Star Wars-themed attractions opened at Disney parks, 25 years before the corporation acquired the rights to the franchise. In the 1990s, interest in Star Wars reached new heights with the release of the first installment of the prequel trilogy, the advent of high-quality games, and the launch of themed LEGO construction sets. The 2000s saw the release of numerous popular games, such as Star Wars: Jedi Knight and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, as well as television series, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars and other related media. These events strengthened the franchise's market position and attracted new generations of fans. Since 2012, the Star Wars franchise has expanded significantly and dominated the media landscape. This occurred after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and the rights to the popular universe. Since the acquisition, the franchise has seen rapid growth, attracting fans and new viewers. Disney has launched new films, television series, comics, and video games, expanding the Star Wars universe and deepening its mythology. As a result, the franchise has strengthened its position in the entertainment content market and continues to be one of the most discussed topics in the world of cinema and media.

Over the past two years, Star Wars has spawned ten new TV series and eight video games, including remasters of classic titles for modern platforms. Dozens of LEGO sets and numerous comics, books, accessories, and toys have also appeared. Given that all of this happened before 2022, it's worth noting that there's also a sequel trilogy and two spinoff films—Rogue One and Han Solo—as well as the popular show The Mandalorian. Thus, the franchise continues to thrive, attracting new generations of fans and offering a variety of content for fans.

Imagine a world in the late 2000s, where the best Star Wars game is still Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This stunning RPG, with many merits, was released before the technological revolution in the gaming industry with the appearance of consoles PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In this context, Ubisoft, the creators of the first part of Assassin’s Creed and preparing the release of the even more ambitious part, announces Star Wars Outlaws. This is the first Star Wars game with a large open world, where players can board their own starship and, without waiting for loading times, travel into outer space, making hyperspace jumps to other systems and landing on new planets without any interruptions.

You don’t have to strain your imagination much to imagine the possibilities that Hogwarts Legacy opens up. This is the first game in the Harry Potter universe to offer players a vast open world. You'll be able to wander the corridors of the famous wizarding school and then climb atop a hippogriff to soar around the castle's majestic towers. You'll also be able to explore the Forbidden Forest and the picturesque village of Hogsmeade. Hogwarts Legacy offers players a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of magic and adventure, offering many exciting quests and secrets to explore.

While it's true that Hogwarts Legacy surpasses Star Wars Outlaws in terms of gameplay quality, a closer look at the Harry Potter adventures reveals that it's not a standout gameplay experience. The game is buggy, not all quests are engaging, and the developers' mechanics aren't always able to attract hardcore players. So what's the secret to Hogwarts Legacy's success? Players have never seen high-quality, high-budget Harry Potter games. Not only the games, but the Fantastic Beasts franchise itself has failed to live up to expectations, and the 2020 reunion show quickly faded into oblivion. Hogwarts Legacy captivated Harry Potter fans, leading to an impressive 30 million copies sold. It was a landmark title in the video game world, filling the void left by previous titles and offering fans a unique experience in a familiar setting. The developers of Hogwarts Legacy understood their target audience and their needs perfectly. Millions of people dreamed of entering the wizarding world and becoming a Hogwarts student, and the game delivered just that experience. In contrast, Star Wars Outlaws, based on the iconic universe known for its gripping Jedi stories and lightsaber battles, offers a story about an unknown young woman who might otherwise be relegated to a supporting role in a film or TV series on the subject. However, such shortcomings are absent in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which provide players with deeper and more engaging stories, focusing on familiar characters and exciting adventures.

Projects like Andor and The Mandalorian have demonstrated that In the Star Wars universe, compelling stories can be created even without the Jedi as the main characters. The universe is rich in diverse characters and events, allowing creators to explore more than just lightsaber-wielding mages. However, a drama series and a video game represent different storytelling formats. In a drama series, the viewer is a bystander to the unfolding plot, while in a video game, the player actively participates in creating their own story. Although the script is predetermined, the player has the freedom to choose how to spend their time: focusing on the main story quest with a spectacular set piece or exploring the world while evading pursuit by bounty hunters working for the Empire or criminal syndicates. Thus, Star Wars video games offer a unique experience of interacting with a rich universe, allowing players to immerse themselves in adventures in their own way.

The oversaturation of content on the market has led to confusion regarding the definition of canon. After numerous game adaptations, such as The Old Republic and the story of Luke Skywalker establishing his own Jedi academy after the events of Episode VI, Disney began to establish a new canonical context. This context was based on an extensive series of comics and books, and was also briefly introduced in various TV series. If you're a fan of the Star Wars universe but don't want to delve into the new canon—which is entirely understandable—you'll have a hard time fully appreciating some of the locations, details, and characters in Star Wars Outlaws. However, the developers don't emphasize knowledge of modern Star Wars lore, and for that, they deserve credit.

Playing devil's advocate may seem difficult, but it's worth noting that Star Wars Outlaws is far from hopeless. It offers an engaging experience, and even if you're wary of the Ubisoft brand, there are elements in Kaye Vess's adventures that might surprise you. The game avoids many of the shortcomings for which the developers are often criticized, making it appealing to a wide audience.

Star Wars Outlaws may not always offer a unique gaming experience, standing out against the backdrop of recent events in the Star Wars universe. However, if you decide to take a break from the franchise, Outlaws can be an unexpected reason to return to this iconic universe. The game offers a fresh take on familiar elements and can attract both long-time fans and new players.