Ubisoft believes Star Wars Outlaws’ protagonist is unique, but they’ve clearly forgotten about the iconic characters from Battlefront games.
Star Wars Outlaws is a brand-new game from Ubisoft that was developed by Massive Gamers. This title puts players into the shoes of a smuggler during the peak of the Galactic Civil War. Set right during the era of the Star Wars trilogy, the game seeks to expand the world with a canon storyline.
Even though it’s a fun experience, Star Wars Outlaws has met with mixed reception due to various bugs and gameplay issues. Instead of fixing these, Ubisoft has diverted the attention to the game’s storyline and how its protagonist, Kay Vess, is worlds apart from the competition. However, it’s crystal clear that the company has forgotten about the iconic Battlefront games.
Star Wars Outlaws‘ Kay Vess Isn’t a Unique Character
Star Wars Outlaws‘ main protagonist is Kay Vess, an original scoundrel developed by the Massive Games. She’s quite cunning and capable and has a cute pet, Nix. Throughout the game, we can witness her evolution from a simple thief to one of the galaxy’s most wanted individuals.
While chatting about Star Wars Outlaws plotline and characters, narrative director Navid Khavari opened up about Kay Vess and what the studio strived to reflect with this character.
The basic objective was to bring a unique character to the table that’s grounded and reflects human struggle, pain, and aspirations rather than a powerful figure. According to Khavari, Kay Vess differs from the typical protagonist since she isn’t a force user and is just a regular human.
However, it looks like Khavari and his team have entirely forgotten about the Battlefront games. If you’re unaware, in these titles, gamers could choose to play as regular soldiers, such as Stormtroopers and Rebel Troopers, alongside iconic heroes and villains. They, too, were regular humans since they didn’t weren’t forced users.
Just like Kay Vess, these soldiers played a crucial role in the Galactic War, relying on their sheer strength and blasters, bringing a grounded experience. It’s mind-boggling how Ubisoft is disregarding such an iconic Star Wars game series just to push forward a title with statements that simply don’t add up.
Star Wars Outlaws has Proven to Be Costly for Ubisoft
Star Wars Outlaws has tanked the French publisher’s stock price. (Image via Massive Games)
Recently, consultant Dr.Serktan Toto shared that Ubisoft’s stock price has tanked and gone under a two-billion market cap, both in US and EU dollars, signaling that the company has hit a new rock bottom.
In some ways, many in the community have interpreted this as a representation of the performance of the latest Star Wars title. Although it’s quite a fun experience when you put aside the game-ending issues, it hasn’t managed to hit the sales expectations that many had hoped for.
Investors seem very disappointed about Star Wars Outlaws’ sales numbers and let Ubisoft stock crash.
Shares lost over 10% combined in the last 2 days, so the company just slipped to under €2B in market cap in Paris.
Ubisoft is almost at a 10-year low. pic.twitter.com/pxpicUl8Cz
— Dr. Serkan Toto 🔜TokyoGameShow (@serkantoto) September 3, 2024
The French publisher bet big with the new Star Wars game, which could’ve turned the tide around its lackluster earnings in the last couple of years. Despite that, Outlaws hasn’t had the impact the investors had been hoping for.
Some gamers suggest that all of this comes down to the nature of the game’s story and characters within the release, but technical issues have made everything worse.
There’s a chance that the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows could help the company speed up financially. The title has clearly drawn in an audience, considering its special editions are already being sold out in some cases. It’s time for the publisher to innovate and adapt; otherwise, the future isn’t looking too bright.
With that said, are you enjoying Outlaws? If yes, let us know in the comments below.
