The developers of Ubisoft Massive and its compatriot LucasFilm shared a host of new details with IGN today at San Diego Comic-Con about Star Wars: Outlaws and two locations revealed so far in the game: Toshara and Tatooine on the New Moon. Of course, that includes being able to work for Jabba the Hutt or betray him (if you wish).
Director Julian Geraiti told IGN in an interview that Toshara was inspired by the East African savannah, and was specifically designed with heroine Kay Vess’ speeder (yes, at least somewhat customizable) in mind, with lots of wide open plains in mind. The team also traveled to Tanzania for inspiration.
“We start with a biome, in this case the biome of South East Africa, as inspiration, and then give it a twist to make it feel a little bit alien,” Geraiti said. “If you think about the first shot, it’s probably not the first shot, but the first shot of Tatooine. It’s beautiful, recognizable architecture, but there are two suns. For us, there’s this huge mountain, chiseled into the amber of the mountain, the crystalline matter is the city, and the exposure of the orange, highly reflective matter.
Lucasfilm Senior Creative Executive Matt Martin then stepped in, referring to Lucasfilm’s “80/20” rule of designing places that are 80% familiar and 20% alien or fantastical. In this case, the East African inspiration is a familiar one, but the cities and the huge outcrops of crystal he finds 20% fantastic.
A panel discussion on the topic was then held at the SDCC, where the group presented further details. Tatooine was reimagined as a somewhat similar landscape, with vast, barren stretches. But, as the panel put it, “It’s not just about reimagining Tatooine. It’s about creating a place with a unique sense of history.”
“When we first thought about where to take Kay, Lucasfilm Games encouraged us to create our own location, and Toshara was born out of that challenge. How would Massive build that open world? A den of scum and villains,” Geraity said.
Toshara is specifically designed to allow players to live out the “villain” fantasies that Massive is building around Kay. They mentioned not only cities carved into huge rocks and the plains that surround them, but also the use of wind power to connect the plains and the cities.
But of course outlaw intention Also visit Tatooine. (Largely similar to recent Star Wars media entries.)
“What if we could close our eyes and give people the option to go anywhere on Tatooine?” said Geraity. “Mos Eisley, especially the watering hole in Mos Eisley.
“This concept of virtual tourism is important to us. If you have ever wondered how far it is from a moisture farm to a cantina, we have the experience for you.”
It also looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time in Jabba’s palace, carrying out missions for the Hutt himself and navigating the criminal underworld he’s at the center of. And yes, it is possible not only to work for Jabba, but to outsmart him – of course, it has its own consequences.
Unfortunately, today’s panel didn’t give us a fresh look at gameplay or a new trailer, but we hope we won’t have to wait long for more additions. ‘Star Wars Outlaws’ is slated for release in his 2024.
For all the other news to be announced at Comic-Con, you can find it in our roundup of everything announced.
