Massive Entertainment’s Creative Director shares more on turning the galaxy far, far away into an open world.
Navigating the underworld of Star Wars isn’t easy for our favorite villains, but it sure looks like fun. Luckily, Star Wars Outlaws, the first open world Star Wars game from Massive Entertainment in partnership with Lucasfilm Games, promises players the chance to experience all the shady deals, backstabs and blaster shootouts for themselves. Star Wars Outlaws Coming to Xbox Series in 2024 Following the game’s announcement in June, which provided a first look at gameplay, a new behind-the-scenes look just premiered at a special panel discussion at San Diego Comic-Con 2023. To mark the occasion, StarWars.com spoke at length with Creative Director Julian Gerighty, discussing why the team chose the villain archetype for the game, how Kay and her companion Nix will work together, and whether there’s more to ND-5’s trench coat.
StarWars.com: When did you first see it? war of stars?
Julian Gerighty: I grew up in the UK and in December 1977 we got Star Wars. That means the phenomenon was gaining momentum back then through word of mouth and it was a big, big deal that the film got out. So I’m pretty sure I saw it in 1977. But if not, then in January 1978, shortly after, when the film was on. I was five or six years old.
StarWars.com: How did it affect you at the time?
Julian Gerighty: Gigantic. Colossal. I mean, it’s hard to describe in today’s landscape of constantly incredible imagery. But just the fact that there was this Star Wars adventure that went beyond what we imagined playing with on-screen toys was just mind-blowing. This gave rise to a lifelong fascination with science fiction, video games, the possibilities of technology, all the things that make me who I am today. That was a very, very big deal. It was the first VHS tape I had. I saw it to death. So the original trilogy is extremely important to me as a creator and a fan.
StarWars.com: Star Wars Outlaws is the first open world war of stars Game. why do you think that war of stars fits this genre so well?
Julian Gerighty: On the one hand, it’s what the team at Massive and our co-development studios we work with are really good at. But for me it’s also an opportunity to immerse the player in the world of Star Wars, step into new and iconic locations, and really explore and control the experience they want. They will really advance their adventure with all the possibilities that an open world offers. You may have some goals but are distracted by your curiosity as a player.
StarWars.com: I always felt like that war of stars was designed with such a sense of history that you will want to explore it. And I feel like that lends itself to an open world.
Julian Gerighty: We talked about this the other day, but Episode IV – the cantina in Mos Eisley is recreated in this game. And when I think back to the time I first saw it, I want to examine all those nooks and crannies. You want to explore the places George Lucas didn’t put on camera and be the director of your own adventure. I agree with you wholeheartedly.
StarWars.com: Tell me about the decision to use the villain archetype instead of another war of stars character type.
Julian Gerighty: There are many character types in Star Wars, but one of the things we wanted to do as we approached the game was, “How can we have many different experiences in this open world?” You know, driving, flying, smuggling, shooting, sneaking, and all of those experiences all wrapped up in a specific character and character archetype. And through working with and discussing with Lucasfilm Games, we settled on the villain archetype very, very quickly. And the villain archetype is a dream come true for me because my favorite characters have always been the villains because they seem to have the most fun in the galaxy.
StarWars.com: What can you tell us about the main characters of the game – Kay Vess, Nix and ND-5?
Julian Gerighty: It all started with Kay Vess. We made her into a young thief who, if you will, has just started the villain’s lifestyle, but dreams of exploring the whole galaxy. Living a very low key life, she gets caught up in something she can’t control, becoming a fish out of water on a planet that is actually a hive of scum and villains. That was the spark that lit this character on their adventures.
So she’s a rookie thief and needed a companion to expand her playing skills. And we think of Kay and Nix as a whole. Nix is a loyal companion – he’s more than a pet. This is the only person you really trust as Kay Vess. The duo and the gameplay it represents are truly key to the adventure we have prepared.
ND-5 is a character that you meet a little later in the adventure and who is there as a minder, bodyguard, but also as an observer. We can’t wait for players to learn more about him.
StarWars.com: How will the gameplay work with Kay and Nix? Can Nix go out and do something while you’re doing something else?
Julian Gerighty: Exactly. I’ve said that before. There are so many experiences that we wanted to create within the game’s open world structure. So there will be moments of combat, there will be moments of sneaking. There will be moments when you need to distract an enemy and you can send Nix to do something, make noise, distract an enemy, sneak past them or you can send them to attack. If you’re faced with three or four different enemies, maybe Nix can deal with one of them while you take care of the others. Nix can sneak into places you can’t find a place to go, helping you open doors, pull levers, and activate mechanisms. It is truly an extension of your powers and your actions.
StarWars.com: Is Nix a new creature type or based on an existing one?
Julian Gerighty: Nix is an all-new creature we created for Star Wars in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. Nothing is a merqual.
StarWars.com: Did you design it with the idea of what you want it to do in the game? Or was it just, “Let’s create something that’s kinda cute, maybe kinda dangerous?”
Julian Gerighty: Even a thief like Kay has a friend, and every friendship has a story. We started with that story, and from there it was really about figuring out how to give Kay more powers without relying on playful tropes. As for Nix’s appearance, there are many references from animals on Earth that have been thrown together and mixed up. And the creation is this beautiful, lovable, yet incredibly aggressive Merqual we call Nix, who has become a huge favorite on the team.
StarWars.com: Where does the name come from?
Julian Gerighty: I wish I could say it was my dog’s or cat’s name, but it isn’t. One of the writers suggested it and it was a name that really fitted. We all liked it very much.
StarWars.com: Regarding Kay, you talked about her being kind of a newbie to the rogue game. I was wondering if you could talk about this choice and if it was meant to give Kay the same starting point that the player has when going out into the world.
Julian Gerighty: It’s all of those things, isn’t it? It starts with the player but also gives her room to develop as a character. It’s also incredibly relatable – someone having to fake the confidence it really takes to stand up to someone like Jabba or some other crime bosses and underbosses. I think that kind of false confidence is something that is incredibly understandable and allows her to develop a real personality that’s quite different from anyone else in the Star Wars galaxy.
StarWars.com: Yes. Basically, it’s like, “Fake it ’til you make it.”
Julian Gerighty: That’s it. That’s the phrase we’ve used a lot to describe them. She has no choice but to fake it, hoping she can make it because the underworld can be so dangerous.
StarWars.com: In the behind-the-scenes video that just debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, we learn that the game is partially set on Tatooine. We’ve seen Tatooine in movies and shows, of course. It also shows up in games. But I have to imagine that it has never been as developed as we are going to see in this game, because you have to be able to explore it. Can you tell us about your approach to making this a living, breathing place?
Julian Gerighty: Yes. When we started we had a short list of places to visit and we had some recent discoveries. Kijimi, featured in the trailer, and Toshara, a brand new location we created ourselves. But we also wanted an iconic place, and for me that was Tatooine. It was a big challenge because there are so many things on Tatooine that putting it all together has become a mystery. But we went back to the source. We looked at some of DK’s visual guides and started building: “Okay, what are the most important parts and what is the most fun for the player to explore?” So Mos Eisley is a big part of it, but there’s also a lot of dunes, canyons, and things you really expect. You know, Tatooine’s greatest hits that we’re trying to compile.
We’ve talked about the type of uniqueness in open worlds that allows the player to choose their experience. But there’s another part of it that I love and that’s very reminiscent of Ubisoft in a way, and that’s virtual tourism. And the virtual tourism in a place like Tatooine is great because I’ve always wondered how far away the Mos Eisley humidity farms are. I’ve always wondered how the cantina is set up. With all of this we try to do justice to the source material by recreating it as authentically as possible with the help of Lucasfilm Games.
StarWars.com: You mentioned Toshara, a new planet in the game. How did you go about creating a new one? war of stars Planet that’s supposed to be unique but still feels that way war of stars?
Julian Gerighty: I think what’s magical is that Star Wars in general always feels familiar, but with a simple twist that really gets you to the point of saying, “Wow, that’s different.” Just think of the first shots of the desert and a structure on Tatooine. But there are two suns, and you’re like, “Okay, I’m in something undiscovered that feels relatable because it has elements you know, but with this little twist it really pulls you out of the familiar.”
And as for Toshara, the way we initially went about it was that we wanted to experience an open world, so we wanted it to be exciting to traverse. We wanted a big urban site, a big city in it. We traveled to Tanzania to do some audio recording and capture the soundscape. So the biome is based on the African savannah, albeit with huge amber crystal slabs, and amber is beautiful in this game because it catches and reflects light. And the capital, Mirogana, is carved right in the middle of one of those huge mountains, embedded in the city. And the pillars are made of amber. All of these simple, yet very, very nifty little elements add up to something that’s totally fresh, yet still relatable.
StarWars.com: I love the city in the rock. I found that really creative and felt war of stars.
Julian Gerighty: It’s a lot of iteration when you start a project like this. I hope for everyone that they have the opportunity to work on a Star Wars project because you learn so much. So much craftsmanship has gone into the construction of every planet we have seen and know so well now. The work behind it is extensive. Just learning the design principles, the simplicity, the twist, the design language, all of those things is amazing. And it has also made us grow as professionals.
StarWars.com: How would you get to the point where you feel like, ‘Okay, this is what it looks and feels like now war of stars‘ while you might have thought before, ‘That’s not right. Does that feel like something else?’
Julian Gerighty: That’s a great question. I think one of my favorite examples is actually the Speeder. You know, we have Luke Skywalker’s speeder, which is a hot rod inspiration. There are chopper racers, there are bicycle racers. The approach we originally took was, “Okay, we want motocross to be the flavor, the theme of Kay’s Speeder.” So we based it on the classic Swedish design of a motocross bike. And we started removing elements, simplifying it, and the more we removed and got to the essential form, the more relatable yet futuristic – more retro-futuristic – it felt. There’s that simplicity that you enforce that really brings out something that feels like Star Wars. Another great example is ND-5. He’s a cloaked BX commando droid, but that cloak, stance, animation, and voice alone give him real personality.
StarWars.com: I’ve seen fans talking about the Mantle online. Is the coat just because he likes wearing a coat? Or is there a reason for this?
Julian Gerighty: No, there is a reason. I think ND-5 is a droid with a very complicated past and I think he’s going to be a huge fan favorite.
StarWars.com: I know we see Jabba in the game. Have you created new crime bosses?
Julian Gerighty: Yes. One of the crime bosses we featured in the trailer is one of the Underlords on Toshara. And of course there will be more because these crime syndicates and your relationship with the crime syndicates is an integral part of one of them [game] Systems we call the reputation system. It’s all about the challenge of working with one crime syndicate to assassinate another, or assassinate both at the same time. It’s your unique narrative path through the adventure, juxtaposing your relationship with the various crime syndicates. If you side with them, you’ll receive special prizes, access to faction areas, adventures, and unique quests. Stand on the wrong side, they will send people after you. So there’s this unique path that you’re going to draw. And by the end of the game, you’ll have a good reputation with all those crime syndicates.
StarWars.com: What’s interesting to me is the setting – the period in between Rich And jedi. You’ve got Boba Fett in the game, all the bounty hunters we come across Rich, even some from the comics, like Doctor Aphra. You have a wide choice. Could any of these characters appear in the game?
Julian Gerighty: Fans will have to play the game to see who could be part of Kay’s story. I think Jabba is the most obvious we’ve ever featured.
I think the time is perfect for that too. When we pitched the idea, Lucasfilm was the one who said, “Okay, that’s the ideal time — that year-long space between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, because the crime syndicates are so active because there’s so much chaos out there in the universe.” And you know, we tried to keep the room calm in San Francisco, but inside there was a huge, huge celebration.
StarWars.com: What is the Ashiga clan that is said to feature Star Wars Outlaws?
Julian Gerighty: The Ashiga Clan is a clan that we created in close cooperation with Lucasfilm Games. They are based on Kijimi that we saw in The Rise of Skywalker. It’s a faction that we really put together around the idea of a very hierarchical society based on honor, tradition and history. Their graphics are heavily inspired by insects and they offer the player a gameplay challenge in the form of NPCs that are truly different from all others. This applies not only in combat, but also in secret. There are a lot of things they can fill in so we can give players a very different experience than some other syndicates you come across like the Hutts or the Pykes.
StarWars.com: Is there anything you would like to say to fans as they wait for the game to release?
Julian Gerighty: I think I want to emphasize the idea that you can get into Star Wars and experience Star Wars on your own terms, as a villain in the underworld. You’ll decide where to go, how to get there, who to work with, who not to work with, how to earn those credits, and how to avoid the bounty that’s on your head. That’s really the spirit behind this open world Star Wars game.