Star Wars Outlaws Directors On Good Vs Evil In Star Wars, Easter Eggs & Crimson Dawn

looks to be one of the most ambitious titles in the IP’s history, marking the first truly open-world title. Set between and, the upcoming game will explore the Outer Rim through the eyes of thief Kay Vess. It will mix existing locales, characters, and lore with new creations, expanding on a rarely-explored part of the universe’s timeline. spoke with ' game director Mathias Karlson and narrative director Navid Khavari to learn more.

eschews the typical grand hero storyline of good versus evil found in most stories, instead telling a more intimate, character-driven narrative focusing on the life of thief Kay Vess. The title aims to be a bit more grounded in its storytelling than other releases, exploring the gritty, difficult life of a criminal in the Outer Rim.will take Kay to several planets as she completes jobs for different syndicates on her quest to pull off a grand heist, with her adorable merqaal — an axolotl-like creature — Nix by her side.

At Summer Game Fest 2024, Star Wars Outlaws' developers discussed the real-world influences behind the game's new crime syndicate, the Ashiga Clan.

We are visiting a point in the timeline that hasn't been visited that often, and in that, I'm sure comes some unique challenges, but also a lot of room for creativity to happen. What made this little chunk of time the perfect one for you guys?

Navid Khavari: I think that goes back to right at the start, where we knew that we wanted to do a scoundrel fantasy, right? We wanted players to experience that. When we met with Lucasfilm Games, they told us, «It just so happens there's this perfect sliver of time, there's a year between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi where this could fit, where the Rebellion is on the run. The Empire is as strong as it's ever been, and the underworld is starting to thrive.”

When we realized we're not necessarily telling a story about Jedi or Sith or Rebellion, but we're going to tell a story about a character, Kay Vess, who really grew