Star Wars Outlaws launched in late August to lower-than-expected sales, but Ubisoft is not abandoning the game. In fact, Ubisoft management has said it believes the game can find success later in its lifecycle if the team can improve the experience in a number of key areas. Now, those efforts are coming into focus.
Ubisoft shared a statement in which it said the team has been “listening to, gathering, and actioning feedback” about the game, and has identified “key areas” that can be improved upon.
“We’ve already made changes to the game and look forward to continuing to improve the experience over time. We would like to reinforce that our priority is giving you the best Star Wars experience possible,” the studio said.
Outlaws has a new creative director, 10-year Ubisoft veteran Drew Rechner, who takes over as creative director from Julian Gerighty. Rechner said the team has taken in both “positive” and “constructive” feedback about Star Wars Outlaws.
Star Wars Outlaws Review
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Ubisoft has compiled feedback from internal analytics, user tests, reviews, media feedback, crash reports, and more, Rechner said. He also noted that Ubisoft has seen the feedback on YouTube, Reddit, Discord, and other social media sites. “We deeply care about your experience with the game, and use all the data and feedback possible to see the friction points you are encountering, what you’re enjoying, and where we can further improve certain elements that matter the most to you,” Rechner said.
Ubisoft has so far released three title updates for Star Wars Outlaws that have addressed some of the “biggest concerns” from fans, including bug fixes and improvements for the game’s stealth missions. That said, Rechner explained there are three additional areas the team is looking to address. The first of these is adding “more depth and excitement” to the combat systems with the aim of “further rewarding” tactics and precision.
The second area is stealth. Rechner said includes “improving the readability and consistency of enemy detection,” along with “choice in how you want to approach each encounter.” Third, Rechner said the team is trying to refine the control experience, including “improving the reliability of cover,” as well as making climbing and crouching more responsive. In general, Rechner said Ubisoft wants the controls overall to be more consistent.
Rechner said Ubisoft will provide “more specific details” about these changes and more in the coming weeks. The next title update, Title Update 1.4, will launch on November 21, alongside the game’s debut on Steam and the launch of the game’s first story expansion, Wild Card.
“To our players, thank you again for your support and feedback, and we hope you will enjoy continuing exploring the galaxy with us,” Rechner said.
After Star Wars Outlaws launched in August, Ubisoft said the game’s sales were worse than expected, and noted that its teams would be “fully mobilized” to improve the game.
It was always the plan for Gerighty to move on to become the executive producer of The Division franchise after Star Wars Outlaws was released. Gerighty played a key role in launching the franchise, and he’s returning to it for The Division 3.