Star Wars Outlaws Preview Event
Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at Star Wars Outlaws' production. Discover how the game came together, from scripting and animation to performance capture and beyond.
Ahead of the launch of Star Wars Outlaws, I was invited to Ubisoft Toronto for a behind-the-scenes look at how the game came together. The special preview event offered an in-depth look at the creative process and cutting-edge technologies that went into crafting the Outlaws experience. I heard directly from the cast, writers, and developers about the lengths they went to create a deep and immersive Star Wars “scoundrel story.”
During the preview event, I even got to act out a scene from the game Puppeteering Nix with his partner in crime, lead actor Humberly González, who portrays protagonist Kay Vess.
"During the preview event, I even got to act out a scene from the game Puppeteering Nix with his partner in crime, lead actor Humberly González, who portrays protagonist Kay Vess."
To conclude the experience, I went hands-on with the latest build of Star Wars Outlaws. There's lots to share, from third-person blaster battles to space-based dogfights. It’s an experience I won’t soon forget and has me extremely excited for more Star Wars Outlaws. Let’s dive into everything there was to see and do at Ubisoft Toronto and how the teams told their unique story in a galaxy far, far away.
Crafting an Outlaw Story
We were treated to a presentation from Star Wars Outlaws creatives and lead actress Humberly Gonzalez to kick off the event. The panel included Navid Khavari (Narrative Director, Ubisoft Toronto), Nikki Foy (Lead Scriptwriter, Ubisoft Toronto) and Gonzalez (voice and motion-capture actress for protagonist Kay Vess). Navid Khavari, known for his work on Far Cry 6, emphasized the importance of diverse perspectives in storytelling. He and his team were excited to tackle the challenges of telling an entirely original story in the Star Wars universe.
"Khavari and his team were excited to tackle the challenges of telling an entirely original story in the Star Wars universe."
Foy shared her passion for Star Wars and how the narrative team at Ubisoft Toronto collaborated closely with Massive Entertainment to bring this ambitious project to life. Humberly spoke about her experiences with her character and the challenges of acting within a virtual world still being built. Hearing about the creativity, challenges, and deep commitment from everyone involved was an eye-opening experience about how much time and effort goes into developing a modern AAA video game.
The Cinematic Experience in Star Wars Outlaws
Bogdan Draghici highlighted how the team approached the game with a cinematic mindset, drawing inspiration from the Star Wars films. He explained that they treated the motion capture stage like a film set, using specific lenses and camera techniques to replicate the iconic look and feel of the Star Wars universe. This approach ensured that the game’s cinematics would resonate with fans of the movies, creating a seamless transition between gameplay and cutscenes.
"This approach ensured that the game’s cinematics would resonate with fans of the movies, creating a seamless transition between gameplay and cutscenes."
Jason Cook and Michael Hollenbeck also played crucial roles in bringing the cinematic experience to life. Cook, Associate Realization Director, is known for his expertise in visual storytelling and worked closely with the team to ensure that the game’s visuals were authentic to the Star Wars aesthetic. Hollenbeck, Cinematic Animation Director, focused on integrating cinematic storytelling with interactive gameplay, ensuring players would feel like part of a Star Wars universe moment-to-moment.
Star Wars Outlaws on the Performance Capture Stage
The story of Star Wars Outlaws was brought to life on an 8,000-square-foot performance capture stage at the studio. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to push the boundaries of video game storytelling with real actors and stunt performers. Motion capture, or “mocap,” is the process of recording human (and non-human) actors and translating that data to animate characters for games and other mediums. This is achieved by placing small markers on performers tracked by an optical system. These systems process the actors’ movements in 3D, creating more lifelike movements from head to toe.
On this stage, actors like Humberly needed to bring the scenes and characters to life with little to no props or reference materials. 75 actors, 88 Days of motion capture, or 201 hours total, went into realizing all the scenes from Star Wars Outlaws.
"75 actors, 88 Days of motion capture, or 201 hours total, went into realizing all the scenes from Star Wars Outlaws."
Reenacting a scene in Star Wars Outlaws on the Capture Stage
During our tour of the Performance Capture Stage, we were treated to the acting team's process to prepare for and finally execute a scene. Many of the game scenes are entirely shot out of sequence, as the Narrative Director of these segments, Khavari, reflects: “In building literal worlds from the ground up necessitates shooting out of order.” This presents many challenges for actors who must dig deep into understanding their characters, surroundings, and the stage of the story they are at.
"In building literal worlds from the ground up necessitates shooting out of order.”
With the guidance of Khavari and Draghici they set the stage for the actors and what has taken place so far in the story. In one scene, I was able to puppeteer Nix, Kay’s trusty dog-like companion. The process is gruelling as you need to move with the action and hit your marks on the stage; otherwise, the scene must be re-shot just like on a real-life theatre stage. Lucky for me, Humberly took me under her wing and taught me the ropes quickly so we could pull off the scene. (It only took three takes – one of which I almost tripped Humberly with Nix…it’s not easy work, but rewarding.)
Filming in a virtual space
After my brief acting debut, the developers allowed me to use a real-world camera to film a cutscene within the game virtually. I could walk around the empty mo-cap studio while the camera’s screen triangulated my position in-game. It displayed the game unfolding around me in real-time, it was incredible to move around the stage and film all aspects of the virtual scene with a real-life camera.
"It displayed the game unfolding around me in real-time, it was incredible to move around the stage and film all aspects of the virtual scene with a real-life camera."
Hands-on Star Wars Outlaws Impressions
After the mo-cap experience, I went hands-on with the Star Wars Outlaws to see how this all came together. I spent over 2 hours with Outlaws and got a feel for the key systems and gameplay. I played two sections: one that saw Kay and Nix enter a city to infiltrate a base and another where I was escaping a planet on my ship and headed straight into a dogfight. I was excited to dive into Star Wars' first open-world gaming experience, and the first few moments didn’t disappoint.
"I was excited to dive into Star Wars' first open-world gaming experience, and the first few moments didn’t disappoint."
I was met with a blaster-based shoot-out that led to me ripping across a planet on a speeder toward a bustling city called Mirogana.
The gunplay feels great, you can charge up your shots to pull off a triple shot to take out multiple enemies at once. The environments themselves are highly detailed and gorgeous, begging to be explored.
"The environments themselves are highly detailed and gorgeous, begging to be explored."
Once inside the city, things became more linear as I was on a stealth mission. It was still very Star Wars in all the ways I’d hoped; I just wanted a slice with a more open-ended path. Still, there were plenty of side activities like gambling, random missions and more.
I'm the Captain Now
I also got to hop into the captain’s seat and fly Kay’s version of the Millennium Falcon, the Trailblazer. The space combat was short, but it left a great first impression. Leaving the planet you are on is pretty seamless – you are “on rails” with a set exit path to the stars, but you can slightly move left and right up and down. Once you reach space, it's pretty wide open. I didn’t get a ton of time to explore as I was attacked right away, but the outer space environments look sharp. The combat itself felt great with blasters, missiles and jumping to hyperspace at my disposal.
"The combat itself felt great with blasters, missiles and jumping to hyperspace at my disposal."
I took out a few ships and landed at a nearby planet; overall, flying a ship in Outlaws feels more dynamic and nimble than a game like Starfield. All in all, I am excited to get back to playing Outlaws as soon as possible.
Star Wars Outlaws Road to Launch
The behind-the-scenes look at Ubisoft Toronto provided a fascinating glimpse into the dedication and innovation that went into creating Star Wars Outlaws. From the advanced performance capture technology to the passionate team of developers, it’s clear that this game is set to offer a unique and immersive experience in the Star Wars universe. I can’t wait to see how players will navigate the galaxy far, far away when the game launches.
About the Author - Matthew "Dapper Tux" Rondina
Matthew has been involved in all things gaming since the 8-bit era. He is a video game and tech industry veteran who has been passionate about technology and gaming for over 20 years. In addition to being the Managing Editor of dappertux.com, he has bylines with Best Buy, Cineplex Entertainment, Mobile Syrup and Walmart. Follow Matthew’s gaming + tech adventures on multiple social platforms with the handle @dapper_tux via X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and join in on the fun!
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