When you're handed the chance to make a new Star Wars game, there's a galaxy of possibilities to consider. So where do you even begin? How do you decide what direction to go in, or what story you want to explore in a beloved universe that's ripe for the picking? These were the exact questions developer Massive Entertainment faced when the opportunity to create the open world adventure now known to the world as Star Wars Outlaws came their way. In what was then a small incubation team at the Sweden-based studio, key creative leads began by thinking about their own personal connection to George Lucas' space opera.
Creative director Julian Gerighty describes Star Wars as a "cultural milestone", and fondly reflects on the first time he saw A New Hope when it reached the UK in 1977. He was just four years old, but can recall the exact theater he watched it in, and still remembers the day he got the film on VHS. During my time visiting Massive's headquarters in Malmo, Sweden, I heard similar stories from other developers. While everyone's link to Star Wars is personal, Gerighty says early conversations between the team quickly made them realize they all shared a love for a particular kind of character that would shape the direction of what Star Wars Outlaws would become.
