The galaxy doesn’t just revolve around the Skywalker family, nor it’s just the war between the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire. The universe is vast, the criminal underworld thrives in the sea of chaos that the civil war has brought upon in all parts of the outer rims and within the Imperial capital. Massive Entertainment’s upcoming open-world Star Wars drama puts all of those aside and directly focuses its spotlight on a scoundrel, looking to escape the galaxy’s mess. I got a chance to speak with Massive Entertainment’s Lead Gameplay Designer of Star Wars Outlaws, Fredrik Thylander.
“Kay Vess is a nimble thief and street-smart scoundrel,” Fredrik Thylander, the Lead Gameplay Designer of Star Wars Outlaws, told Sirus Gaming. “She is an opportunistic combatant that will use whatever is at hand at the time to turn the odds of battle.”
Combat is an integral part of any video game, especially when it’s coming from a huge franchise like Star Wars. The arsenal of weapon is just massive and there’s a lot to include, even for a huge gaming studio like Massive (no pun intended). Outlaws features guns in an era where the 1970s kids would die to get their hands on — like the E-11 Blaster from the Galactic Empire.
For Kay, she can freely grab these weapons wherever they’re lying around, but little does she know that the blasters she picks up are usually armed with limited shots. “Picking up enemy weapons to temporarily boost your firepower felt very natural to let her do,” according to Fredrik. “The fact she doesn’t carry enemy heavy weapons with her allows us to have the experience of fighting different syndicates and archetypes play out very differently, based on what weapons the player can then pick up and use from them,” he added.
Kay’s handy blaster, the VM-19 is an all-new pistol in the world of Star Wars. This sweet baby of a pistol does have a unique feature I very much love: changing modules from lethal to non-lethal. Yes, you can change the firing mode to stun, once you upgraded Kay’s pistol; thus giving us, the players, more options to approach combat as we see fit.
“[Kay’s] VM-19 blaster has exchangeable modules that are also upgradable, meaning her own blaster has a range of different capabilities and firing styles that the player can opt into, bringing a lot of depth and flexibility to the blaster play throughout the game,” says Fredrik.
The following questions have been edited for clarity.
With your experience in The Division, how did that influence combat in Outlaws? Did you adapt any elements to make them unique for Outlaws?
Fred: All of the gameplay systems in Star Wars Outlaws were uniquely designed and implemented based on the fantasy of the Star Wars Scoundrel experience. Of course, our experience from other games played a major part in allowing us to deliver mechanics such as shooting, cover and enemy archetypes at a high quality level.
We also have experts with experience from other games, including other Star Wars titles to allow us to make sure we could build the best space and vehicle gameplay possible. The Snowdrop engine, which is enhanced and improved with each game made using it, has allowed us to take systems such as weapon handling, physics and rendering a step further than what we have seen before.
The Snowdrop engine has allowed us to take systems a step further than what we have seen before.
The reputation system seems key to Kay’s success. Aside from rewards you get from crime syndicates, do choices impact the main story?
Fred: While the main story beats remain the same no matter how you maneuver the syndicate reputation of the underworld, it very much affects the way you play those story beats. Depending on who you become accepted or distrusted by, parts of the world change from being hostile to friendly including areas that main missions might take you through.
This, along with the syndicate missions and contracts you get to partake in only if you are in good standing with that syndicate means that most players should have a different story to tell on how they played the game once they have finished the main campaign.
Sabacc hasn’t been explored much in Star Wars games. What led to its inclusion in Outlaws, and what was the main decision behind it?
Fred: Sabacc was something that our Lead Systems designer was passionate about, from the very concept stage as a part of the fantasy of getting to be a scoundrel in the underworld. It’s core to the game that it has many facets and avenues of gameplay that bring the world to life and let you feel what it’s like to live there.
Together with a talented team in Ubisoft Paris we managed to make it not just a side activity, but an integral part of our storytelling, with both narrative elements, characters and game mechanical upgrades being connected to the game. As the player makes their way through the world, they will be able to uncover hidden backrooms with high rollers and local card sharks that they can challenge in a bid to not just make some credits, but a name for themselves as a veritable Sabacc master.
[Players] will be able to uncover hidden backrooms with high rollers and local card sharks that they can challenge…
Some have noted similarities in gameplay to the Jedi series, but without lightsabers. What makes Outlaws unique despite these comparisons?
Fred: It’s flattering to be compared to great games. We began with the core wish fulfillment of what players want to do as a scoundrel in an open-world Star Wars galaxy. This means a broad range of mechanics, including space battles, speeder driving, shootouts, sneaking, playing cards, reputation choices, and more. While comparisons are natural, we’re proud of the quality we deliver in this immersive open world with diverse gameplay.
Star Wars Outlaws will launch on August 30, 2024, for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.