Star Wars Outlaws protagonist Kay Vess will take inspiration from famous big-screen rogues like Han Solo and Jack Sparrow while still being relatable in her own way. Ubisoft first announced its open-world Star Wars game back in 2021, but fans wouldn’t know exactly what this project would entail until June’s Xbox Games Showcase. There, developer Massive Entertainment finally pulled back the curtain on Star Wars Outlaws. Players will get to explore the shady criminal underworld of the Star Wars galaxy by performing smuggling jobs for various criminal factions and evading the forces of the oppressive Empire through a GTA-inspired wanted system.
At the heart of Star Wars Outlaws’ narrative is Kay Vess, a young scoundrel looking to make a name for herself in the Galaxy Far, Far, Away. In contrast to the Jedi and Sith that often serve as the main characters of Star Wars video games, Kay is simply trying to earn a living amid the many criminal organizations populating the darkest corners of the galaxy, with just a small handful of allies like her faithful pet companion Nix and the mysterious Jalen - a benefactor who bears a suspicious resemblance to the fan-favorite Star Wars gaming hero Kyle Katarn.
Kyle isn’t the only classic Star Wars character Massive looked to while crafting Star Wars Outlaws’ cast of scoundrels and criminals, as Kay Vess herself takes some inspiration from Han Solo. In the latest issue of Edge Magazine, Star Wars Outlaws creative director Julian Gerighty revealed some of the influences his team drew from while designing Kay. According to him, Massive immediately thought of the legendary smuggler while crafting Kay’s personality, in addition to his fellow scoundrel Lando Calrissian. The team at Massive also looked at famous silver-screen rogues like Indiana Jones, James Bond, and even Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean fame.
Julian Gerighty even revealed that as a child, he was more drawn to the outlaw nature of Han and Chewbacca than any of the other heroes in the original Star Wars trilogy, and this fueled his desire to create a similar character in Star Wars Outlaws. Meanwhile, the staff at Massive wanted to make Kay Vess more relatable, and fine-tuned their initial concept to create a character that Gerighty describes as “a little fish in a colossal pond.” Indeed, Kay is said to be a rookie in the criminal landscape of the Star Wars galaxy, making deals with powerful faction leaders and ending up in a situation that is far bigger than anything she might have prepared herself for.
Star Wars often centers its characters around traditional archetypes, and likable scoundrels like Han Solo and Jack Sparrow are said to be a key influence for Star Wars Outlaws' new heroine Kay Vess. Outlaws’ premise could even take Kay in a darker direction that the films shied away from with Han, making this new character all the more intriguing for fans to explore and play as when Star Wars Outlaws launches sometime next year.
Star Wars Outlaws is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2024.
Source: Edge Magazine (via GamesRadar)
