Star Wars Outlaws might be a new game, but it also aims to make older fans nostalgic. Slotting between Empire and Return of the Jedi, the open-world game aims to nail the ‘70s sci-fi aesthetic from the original trilogy movies.
Creative director Julian Gerighty told all in an interview with EDGE Magazine (covered by The Loadout), discussing how the game emulates this era. Massive Entertainment will attempt to mirror the era by using similar vignetting, film grain, and lens breathing from those films.
This will also be shown through characters, their weapons, and vehicles. Even their apparel will reflect this era, with Star Wars Outlaws lead Kay Vess sporting similar binoculars to that era.
“I can even come down to something as granular as the industrial design of Kay’s binoculars,” Gerighty says. “There’s a shape language there that is inspired by the ’70s or ’80s but is fundamentally almost timeless.”
With games like Jedi: Survivor not really emulating a particular film style, this is a unique way to make this title “feel” like Star Wars. No cameos have been revealed thus far, though we can assume any major character between Empire and Return might appear.
Having a look and feel to these older movies should add to the game’s handcrafted areas. Since Star Wars Outlaws is the first major open-world game in the series, the developers are making sure each planet feels big. Apparently, one planet will equal two or three hub areas from Ubisoft’s own Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
As the title implies, this game set in a galaxy far, far away will let players get away with being a scoundrel. Like Han Solo before her, Kay Vess will take part in multiple heists with her weirdly sexy droid partner. While Vess could be more quiet about this adventure, this era, setting, and aesthetic should make this title stand out.
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Star Wars Outlaws is scheduled for a 2024 release on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.