Star Wars Outlaws controversy explained: Why fans are mad about Ubisoft’s open-world game
UbisoftStar Wars Outlaws is the most recent video game to have the wider internet up in arms. So, what’s the controversy about and is it justified?
After years of previews and speculation, Star Wars Outlaws finally received an official release date alongside its latest story trailer. In tandem with this announcement, Ubisoft also revealed the various editions of Star Wars Outlaws.
The wave of information has been met with a staggering amount of discontent from prospective players. Larger names like Asmongold have weighed in on Ubisoft’s proposed outline for the game and what is perceived by many to be anti-consumer practice.
While this is the primary throughline of the controversy surrounding Star Wars Outlaws, there are a few different facets to the complaints made by players. This outline should give some clarity on the various points of contention from the community.
Contents:
Star Wars Outlaws pricing backlash explained
Star Wars Outlaws follows the same tiered pricing as most Ubisoft games in recent years. Broken up into Standard, Special, Gold, and Ultimate editions. The pricing of the game’s Ultimate Edition in particular has been cited in discussions as particularly egregious.
Initially stoked by images of the Star Wars Outlaws Ultimate Edition’s Australian price tag of $199.99 AUD, complaints began to spread. This particular edition of the game costs a total of $129.99 USD in the US which appears less inflammatory at a glance but when conversion is taken into account, it’s still rather pricey.
As many have pointed out in the discourse, Ultimate Editions of recent Ubisoft titles such as Avatar Frontiers of Pandora have retailed at that $129.99 USD price point as well. Titles from other publishers like Gotham Knights have also had a similar pricing breakdown to Star Wars Outlaws across their various editions.
UbisoftThis sort of thing is becoming commonplace among the AAA gaming space but Star Wars Outlaws is bearing the brunt of the outrage. Of course, it’s not just the overall price but what is contained in the premium editions of the game.
Season Pass controversy with Star Wars Outalws
A particular sticking point in the conversation surrounding Star Wars Outlaws is Ubisoft’s decision to gate day one content behind the Season Pass offered in higher-priced editions. The Gold Edition is priced $40 USD higher than the base game and the Ultimate Edition comes in at $60 USD more.
Both give access to the game’s Season Pass and pre-ordering either edition gives players access to a special mission centered around the iconic Jabba the Hutt. The decision to lock this mission behind what many consider prohibitive price points has drawn the ire of users on the r/Gaming Subreddit.
“This single-player game comes at a minimum of £70 and it’s still got content cut out and sold separately, are you fu**ing serious?” one prospective player asked incredulously. “I don’t know why so many people are surprised Ubisoft is doing normal Ubisoft stuff with this game,” another replied matter-of-factly.
It should be noted that while this is standard for Ubisoft, many other developers have done similar things. Major hits like Hogwarts Legacy and even Red Dead Redemption 2 had exclusive missions with a monetary barrier to entry on launch.
Ubisoft has also made these missions available to players after launch as part of their Ubisoft+ service. The Way of the Berserker mission from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla sticks out as an example. That doesn’t diminish people’s complaints and whether it’s acceptable is ultimately up to the consumer of course.
Early access for Star Wars Outlaws sparks outrage
Similar to the Jabba the Hutt mission tied up with the Season Pass, the Gold and Ultimate Edition of Star Wars Outlaws offers three days of early access. This has been criticized as a FOMO tactic designed to push players towards spending more.
Much like the pricing and gated content, early access has also become a commonplace tool that Ubisoft is not uniquely guilty of using. Games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Diablo 4, and WWE 2K24 all offered the same three days of early access for players willing to spend money on it.
Each of those titles was criticized for this but the fact remains that there is a subset of players willing to engage with this sort of thing. The decision to employ all of the pre-release tactics discussed in this piece has hit Ubisoft quite hard.
There are many saying it’s deserved and that is a matter of personal opinion but one thing has become clear; Star Wars Outlaws will likely have a rough launch now that this controversy has taken root.
Ubisoft responds to the Star Wars Outlaws controversy
UbisoftSince the clamor around Star Wars Outlaws grew too loud to ignore, Ubisoft has offered a response to the concerns. Well, one of them at least. Reading the backlash against gating off the exclusive Jabba the Hutt mission as a fear of missing out on the character in the base game, a developer gave some clarity.
“Jabba the Hutt and the Hutt Cartel are one of the main syndicates in Star Wars Outlaws and will be part of the experience for everyone who purchases the game, regardless of edition,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told IGN in their initial report. “The ‘Jabba’s Gambit’ mission is an optional, additional mission with the Hutt Cartel along Kay and Nix’s journey across the Outer Rim. This mission will be available to those who purchase the season pass or an edition of the game which includes the season pass.”
Of course, the backlash surrounding the exclusive mission seems to be largely focused on the idea of charging extra for content that exists at launch. That issue was not addressed in Ubisoft’s comments.