From Yoda figurines to LEGO Stormtrooper helmets, Star Wars is everywhere at Massive Entertainment video game studio, which is about to unveil a highly anticipated title based on George Lucas’ iconic franchise.
Hundreds of developers spent years creating “Star Wars Outlaws,” a process that executives at the Malmo, Sweden-based studio say took them from mere fans to craftsmen of the beloved epic.
Game developer Mathias Karlsson said, “We had to take a step back,” and “go from being fans to becoming craftsmen, together with Lucasfilm, to create something new, a new perspective.”
Excitement is building ahead of the Aug. 30 release of “Star Wars Outlaws,” an open-world game set between the events of “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.”
Get a first look at the exciting new gameplay and open world of Star Wars Outlaws. Join us on June 10 at 12pm PDT / 9pm CEST # UBForward to find out more! pic.twitter.com/VkRkeAFuXG
— Star Wars Outlaws (@StarWarsOutlaws) June 7, 2024
“Many of us grew up with Star Wars,” said Alf Condelius, the studio’s operations director. “I was 11 years old when I saw the first film and when I came home, I asked myself how I had survived 11 years without Star Wars.”
“It’s been a wonderful journey, almost like reconnecting with my childhood,” Carlson said.
The Swedish studio, owned by French giant Ubisoft, partnered with the Star Wars creator’s Lucasfilm company and began working on the project in 2020.
“We wanted to create a video game in which the player is the director of his own experience, and is given all the possible choices – which vehicle to choose, where to go, which criminal group to pledge allegiance to, and everything that makes the adventure of a bandit or a criminal really come to life,” the studio’s creative director Julian Gerighty told AFP.
While there are already plenty of games based on the Star Wars franchise, and designers can only work within a specific fictional era, the makers of “Outlaw” promised players additional power and agency.
“We were given a lot of freedom to create new things,” Gerighty said.
Playing the role of a thief
Players will take on the role of Wes, who is about to pull off the biggest heist of the century.
Dressed in a leather jacket, heavily tattooed body, pistol strapped to her belt, and always accompanied by her trusty galactic animal companion Nix, K. Wes scours planets and moves among crime lords in search of her freedom.
The young woman comes from Cantonica, a fictional desert planet known for its casino city, which saga lovers discovered in 2017 in the eighth film, “The Last Jedi”.
Watch the new game overview video #StarWarsOutlaws, pic.twitter.com/cVR0w45J7D
— Star Wars Outlaws (@StarWarsOutlaws) June 10, 2024
“It’s easier to create something new than trying to recreate (the planet) Tatooine as accurately as possible,” Gerighty said.
The sound and aesthetics are reminiscent of George Lucas’s trilogy, whose inspirations influenced the designers.
“We reference Wild West and samurai films,” said Chloé Hammoud, who created the game worlds, adding that creators from 57 countries “used cinematic realism to get as close to the atmosphere of the films as possible, using the same motives, the same style, for example.”
Lasting around 60 hours, the game is suitable for all ages and will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox X/S.
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