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