Star Wars Outlaws is, in many ways, the kind of Star Wars games fans have been waiting for. A game set in the vast world of Star Wars, that trades lightsabers for blasters, digging into the criminal underworld of the galaxy, the world that scoundrels like Han Solo hail from.
It should be an easy sell, but now that we know the release date and pre-orders are live, players have spotted a couple of things about the game that has them raising their eyebrows, to say the least.
Arguably the most notable issue players have is a mission involving the iconic crime boss Jabba The Hutt being paywalled behind the game’s $109 Gold Edition.
It’s a move that left players confused and upset, especially since trailers for Outlaws seem to prominently show Jabba as being part of the main narrative.
In a statement to Eurogamer from a Ubisoft spokesperson, Ubisoft clarified that the paywalled mission is only “an optional, additional mission,” and that no matter which version of the game players purchase, they’ll be treated to plenty of time with Jabba and the Hutt Cartel.
“To clarify, 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.
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.”
At least that clears up any concern players might’ve had if they thought that Jabba wouldn’t be in the game unless you purchased a specific, more expensive version of the game, or purchased an additional season pass.
This whole situation however still feels like Ubisoft is stepping on rakes it could’ve easily avoided. Without playing the game or the mission in question, we can’t say for certain if there’s anything about it that would justify the added cost, beyond it just being more Star Wars Outlaws.
Perhaps this ‘Jabba’s Gambit’ mission adds a whole new layer of narrative content, maybe it adds multiple hours of gameplay, and really is something that was done in addition to the rest of the game.
Maybe none of that is the case, and Ubisoft is just trying to justify having a three-tiered price structure for Outlaws, the same way it has a three-tiered structure for all its big releases.
That’s up for you to decide when Outlaws hits shelves in August. It also worth pointing out, as Shinobi602 does, that Ubisoft has pulled this same stunt before, and later made missions previously paywalled behind a more expensive version of a game free for all players.
There’s no reason to believe the same won’t happen here.
Speaking of easy-to-avoid rakes Ubisoft keeps stepping on, a tiny message on the box art next to the ESRB rating revealed that players who buy a physical copy of Outlaws will need an internet connection to install the game they bought.
That’s not what anyone buying a disc wants to read. At least this time however, players are learning about this now, instead of learning about it when the game finally hit retail shelves, which is how Ubisoft handled that with its recent Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora release.
Source – [Eurogamer, Shinobi 602 on Twitter]