‘Star Wars: Outlaws’ – Why I’m Concerned About the Game’s Release Plans
Earlier this month, Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games revealed the story trailer for their new video game Star Wars: Outlaws. Fans worldwide got a taste of the game’s upcoming plot, some of the new and returning characters they’ll interact with, and some of the locales they’ll visit. But for some in the gaming community, that excitement and enthusiasm for the game soon turned to frustration and resentment.
Take a gander at some of the news sites and YouTube channels covering the game. Some may chalk up the hate online as “people who were going to be upset about the game no matter what.” Others may not even realize why people are upset. Most will probably play the game and enjoy it either way. But as someone who’s made it their lifelong passion to cover video games truthfully and respectfully, the latest controversy surrounding Star Wars: Outlaws is part of a trend in games where consumers get less and less for their purchase. Personally, I’m concerned about Star Wars: Outlaws because the game is being released with harmful business practices that aren’t good for consumers.
All three of these pieces of information were discovered alongside the latest trailer that was released. I’ll go over each of these three items, what they are, and why these are bad for gamers all around.
Season Passes and “Cutting Corners”
A lot of games nowadays include season passes. These are, essentially, digital passes where consumers pay more upfront (usually $20-30) for the promise of future downloadable content (DLC) released later on. This can come in the form of more missions, outfits, characters, or even new locations. The main key, however, is that this content has not yet been completed. With season passes, the developers usually outline plans they’d like to implement, but they’re asking for more money so that they can do so.
For Star Wars: Outlaws, the season pass is bundled in the “gold” and “ultimate” editions of the game. It includes “two upcoming story pack DLCs,” a Han Solo outfit, and a mission featuring Jabba the Hutt. While the first two items are typical items to be expected in a season pass, it’s the third item — a mission with Jabba the Hutt — that set many on edge.
The “upcoming story pack DLCs” are described by Ubisoft as “additional narrative expansions” that will come at a later date. This implies that this upcoming DLC has not been worked on yet, but will come when consumers purchase the season pass. What’s not normal, however, is the Jabba the Hutt mission. It’s a mission that will be available at release. Jabba will be featured throughout the game. But this specific mission will be locked behind a paywall, even though work on it will have already been completed. It could’ve been included with the base game, but it won’t. Even though Star Wars: Outlaws costs a hefty $70, I can’t help but feel “nickeled and dimed” by this exclusion.
Deluxe Editions For Star Wars: Outlaws
For $110 or $130, fans can purchase either the “gold” editions or the “ultimate” editions. The “gold” edition comes with the game’s season pass and access to the game three days before release. The “ultimate” edition adds, on top of the “gold” edition benefits, additional outfits, cosmetic items for in-game vehicles, and a digital art book.
Gamers being charged for extra items like these has always been a point of contention. Some argue that these should be free. Some games do provide these costumes for free, like in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or The Witcher 3. But there are plenty of other games as well that charge for these items. Games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 added cosmetic items like these after they were released. And many were upset as these items weren’t cheap. Some cost up to $15 for just one costume. Even though these are only visual augments that change outfits, it’s another case of gamers feeling “nickeled and dimed,” even after paying $70.
The other surprising aspect of the deluxe editions is that they include a three-day early-access period. Pay more money to play the game early. It sounds like an enticing bonus for passionate fans excited to get their hands on the game as soon as possible. But other games have incorporated this, with notoriously bad results. Games like Battlefield 2042, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League included three-day early-access periods. In both situations, fans paid extra money but played a broken, glitchy game. Or in the case of Suicide Squad, they couldn’t even log on and play it. For $40 or $60 extra — the price of another full-fledged game — it feels as though the extra items don’t justify the price.
Online Downloads and Why It Is Bad For Game Preservation
Next to the game’s age rating at the bottom-left, there’s a text that reads “Internet required to install the game.” Most consumers who buy the physical copy will probably read over this and think nothing of it. But for those fighting for the preservation of entertainment media, this is a big blow.
It’s true that most — if not all — games do require something to be downloaded before playing. Even if you buy physical discs, games need to be downloaded from the disk onto the console before players can start the game. Or there may be an update to the game that also needs to be downloaded, perhaps to fix later-discovered bugs and glitches. The difference, however, is that if a consumer purchases a physical disc from the store, most of the time, the game can still be downloaded from that disc they bought. The updates are optional. The disc is all that’s required to play the game
For Star Wars: Outlaws, even if you buy a physical disc, you’re still required to download the game off the internet. What’s the purpose then of a physical disc? And what if someone doesn’t have stable internet? And what about later in the future when websites and internet services change? Who’s to say that the game won’t be available to download then? This might seem far-fetched, but fans of the Nintendo 3DS and WiiU are experiencing this reality today as the store marketplaces shut down recently for both systems. Plenty of games that were only available for purchase off the internet can no longer be downloaded anymore. Could this happen to Star Wars: Outlaws?
How Many More Good Star Wars Games Have to Be Soured By Bad Business Practices?
Almost every single major Star Wars game released in the past 10 years has been released with some controversy. In 2015, it was EA’s Star Wars: Battlefront and the $50 battle pass. In 2017, it was Battlefront II and the pay-to-win micro-transactions. Then in 2023, it was Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and the game’s poor performance settings, especially on PC. Now, it’s this.
I want to state that I’m not judging anyone for buying or supporting this game. Many of us here will buy this game and will play it immediately when it comes out. And if you’re really excited about this game and willing to pay extra cash, there’s nothing wrong with buying the special editions. I get it. But it is my job to at least help others make informed decisions.
I hope some of these business decisions can be changed because the game — and we as gamers — deserve better. When we pay $70 for the game, we shouldn’t feel guilty about our purchase or feel like we’re missing out by not paying even more.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jay Goodearl runs the YouTube Gaming channel “Good Games, Dude” His channel aims to open up video games to beginners and immediate players and help them understand what makes games the art form that it is.
