Key Takeaways:
– Star Wars Outlaws is under overwhelming pressure to deliver an exceptional experience to its fans and gaming community.
– Julian Gerighty, Outlaws' creative director, plans to break away from Ubisoft's classic formulaic gaming patterns.
– The narrative of Star Wars Outlaws is placed between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
– The Outlaws team aims to divert from the crowded character scene of Star Wars and focus on creating a unique narrative.
– Ubisoft's gaming layout is also set to change, offering a more character-driven narrative rather than the typical skill tree development.
Breaking Free From the Usual Ubisoft Shackle
Video game enthusiasts are in for a treat as Ubisoft steps off its beaten track with the launch of Star Wars Outlaws. The creative maestro behind this endeavor, Julian Gerighty, plans to break free from Ubisoft's usual gaming blueprint. Often criticized for repeatedly churning out similar open-world games like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, Ubisoft aims to switch up things for Star Wars Outlaws.
The Star Wars Outlaws project was born out of a conversation about potential collaborations between Ubisoft Massive's managing director and Disney at E3 2018. While creating a Star Wars game was a long-held aspiration for many team members, it brought with it the immense burden of meeting expectations from the franchise's ardent fans and the entire gaming community.
Carving Out a Unique Narrative
Delving deeper into the narrative during an interview with GamesIndustry, Gerighty emphasized the focus on avoiding overcrowding the storyline with iconic characters of Star Wars. This unique narrative will focus on the scoundrel archetype or space pirate, a novelty for Star Wars fans.
Gerighty also stated that the development process, though under scrutiny from Lucasfilm, had been relatively smooth. A shared creative framework was established from the very beginning to safeguard the game's Star Wars design, visuals, and narrative integrity.
A New Approach to Game Structure
Massive Entertainment, the team behind Star Wars Outlaws, aims to break away from Ubisoft's trademark large, marker-filled maps. Instead, the game's layout will be driven by narrative-based encounters, thus capturing the essence of character development. Inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, the leveling system will largely veer away from the traditional skill tree approach.
This fresh perspective to the game's structure is crucial to setting Star Wars Outlaws apart from regular Ubisoft offerings. By stirring clear of the known path, the development team seeks to provide a distinctive Star Wars experience that lives up to the fans' sky-high expectations.
Striking the Balance between Creative Freedom and Franchise Legacy
Despite the room for creativity, the stakes remain high. Meeting the franchise's legacy whilst alignifying with Ubisoft's gaming history is indeed a tall order. Gerighty and his team feel this pressure intimately. However, they are driven by an ambition to offer a Star Wars game that stands out, not just as another addition to the gaming lineup but as a masterpiece of Star Wars legacy.
Will Star Wars Outlaws be able to redefine the Ubisoft formula? It's a wait and see for now. But one thing is certain, the anticipation is high, and the gaming community waits with bated breath for the revolutionary Star Wars Outlaws experience. Let us know in the comments section below what you think of this new development!
