Star Wars Outlaws’ Developers Share Their Story Inspirations

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With Star Wars Outlaws just around the corner, developer Massive Entertainment share how they crafted their Star Wars story.

Transcript

00:00For Star Wars Outlaws, Massive worked together with Lucasfilm Games to bring a different

00:05kind of Star Wars story to life. Instead of being swept up in the conflict between the

00:09Empire and the Rebellion, or the Jedi and Sith, we'll be stepping into a scoundrel

00:13story through the eyes of someone who's experiencing the underworld and the galaxy

00:17for the first time. As laid out by narrative director Navid Kavari, our newbie is Kay Vess,

00:22who's sent out on a journey that spans the outer rim as an outlaw, and she'll be forced

00:26to confront her past to guarantee her future. With the chance to create a fresh experience

00:31that plays around with the Han Solo archetype, the team set out to craft a story that could

00:35combine Lucasfilm's great history of storytelling with Massive's ability to craft open worlds

00:41through the lens of an up-and-coming thief who's trying to find her own way.

00:45Wait. We haven't met. Don't really know many of you.

00:52It was crucial to us that Star Wars Outlaws is not a story about the Rebel Alliance. It's

00:56not a story about the Empire. It's the story of a scoundrel, a thief, a hustler, an outlaw.

01:01It's the story of Kay Vess, Kavari says. And that feel, that tone, that aesthetic,

01:06that perspective was absolutely crucial in forming the character of Kay Vess, a rookie

01:11taking her first steps into the greater galaxy.

01:23Once the team decided on exploring a scoundrel story in Outlaws, one of the first hurdles

01:27was determining where it would sit in the Star Wars timeline. Kavari explains that it

01:31was important to figure out the era early on, since every era has its own tone, its

01:36own set of characters, and its own aesthetic. After meeting with Lucasfilm Games at the

01:40start of the project, the suggestion was made that the turbulent period of time between

01:43the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi would be perfect.

01:46That one year gap, where the Empire is at its absolute height of power, Kavari says,

01:51but it's a bit distracted by the vigilante rebellion, and the underworld really is thriving.

01:55So that felt like a really, really good period to base our game and our story.

02:07With an era and scoundrel archetype in mind, we moved into what we call the story rooms,

02:12Kavari says. These weren't just writers' rooms, we actually tried to invite a lot of

02:15different disciplines to participate in organically growing the story. So level artists, quest

02:20designers, writers, because we wanted it to grow holistically.

02:30Above all, the team wanted to tell a story with a character who feels relatable, which

02:33actually led to one of the most engaging discussions in the story room about one familiar face

02:38that will be making an appearance.

02:39K is someone we can connect with, and gives us a new perspective. K is not a character

02:43that has ever fought a stormtrooper, so what would it be like for any of us to meet Jabba

02:47the Hutt for the first time? What does that play like when you have no history, or even

02:51any idea who Jabba is?

02:59While audiences may be familiar with Star Wars, we got to go on this journey with a

03:02rookie who's seen everything for the first time.

03:15As K goes up against the underworld, she won't be alone, with Nyx at her side as

03:19her partner in crime. Kavari says he's like K's heart in a lot of ways narratively.

03:24She's not one to trust others easily, but Nyx is said to open her up, meaning that she

03:28might have the ability to trust others as well, thanks to his loyal presence.

03:40Although the pair will venture to various locations and worlds, the story begins in

03:44Cantonica, or the city of Canto Bight. This is where she lived in the shadow of the wealthy

03:49elite. Associate narrative director John Bjorling says, far away from the oppression of the

03:54elite and the fights of the rebellion, K herself is going to be taking jobs on Canto. Kavari

03:59says, she's running out of some marks to hustle, her world is getting very, very small,

04:03and she's looking to leave Canto Bight. And when she takes up one job that puts her

04:15in way over her head, she ends up with a death mark on her back, and on entering a journey

04:19through the galaxy and through the greater underworld.

04:28I can't wait to discover what K's perspective on the galaxy will offer us when Star Wars

04:32Outlaws arrives on August 30th. What about you? Are you excited to live this scoundrel

04:36fantasy or looking forward to seeing the Star Wars universe through a new perspective? Let

04:40us know down below. And for more, make sure to check out gamesradar.com.

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