Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment are promising the ultimate Star Wars scoundrel fantasy with Star Wars Outlaws. Starring cunning thief-in-the-making Kay Vess, the open world title will see players rubbing shoulders with the most dangerous criminal syndicates of the galaxy- which, of course, will turn the Empire’s attention as well.
And as many have guessed, that will be woven into the gameplay systems as well. Star Wars Outlaws’ recent gameplay showing at the Ubisoft Forward showcase showed towards the end what seemed to be a Wanted system, though there were some questions about whether that was limited to a single, scripted scene or would be a game-wide mechanic.
In a newly published gameplay walkthrough developer breakdown video, creative director Julian Gerighty has confirmed that the Wanted system is very much a game-wide thing in Star Wars Outlaws, and will see players attracting heat from the Empire and its forces as they commit more crimes (or actions that the Empire thinks are crimes).
“The wanted system is something that’s going to be ever-present within the game,” said Gerighty. “If you are caught or challenge the Empire, you’re going to start to get wanted. And if you continue, you persist, and you do even more actions, that wanted level is just going to go up. At the highest levels, the Empire will throw a huge amount of resistance and forces your way. So that’s something that you can play around with, but you’re best off trying to avoid [the Empire] as much as possible.”
Game director Mathias Karlson added, “Very important for us in this experience is that there will always be some way for you to de-escalate or escape.”
Additionally, it’s also been confirmed that Star Wars Outlaws will allow completely seamless traversal from the surface of a planet into space, and vice versa, without any loading screes. New details have also been revealed on its characters, Reputation system, space combat, and more.
Star Wars Outlaws launches sometime in 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.