When Ubisoft unveiled Star Wars Outlaws at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2023, fans were promised a bold new direction for their favorite galaxy far, far away: an open-world scoundrel adventure filled with high-stakes missions, shady underworld figures, and morally gray choices. But now that the dust has settled, it’s clear the game didn’t quite hit hyperspace like Ubisoft hoped for.
Sales have been lackluster, and reviews have been polarizing. In a recent statement, Yves Guillemot of Ubisoft pointed not at bugs or design choices, but at the broader Star Wars brand itself. The phrase he used?
“Choppy waters.”
A Rocky Launch
From the outset, Outlaws had the kind of buzz most games can only dream of. Its cinematic trailers were slick, its gameplay reveal promising, and the visuals looked (and still look) stunning. It was supposed to be the first truly open-world Star Wars game—an ambitious sandbox where players could carve their own path as an outlaw navigating the Empire’s grip.
But by release week, cracks had already started to show. Critics praised the visuals and some world-building elements, but noted repetitive quests, shallow combat, and uneven pacing. Fans were divided (just look at the number of 5-star and 1-star reviews). And despite Ubisoft’s marketing push, the game simply didn’t catch fire. Within weeks, its player counts dropped, and digital sales missed targets.
Whose to blame?
In a quarterly earnings call, Guillemot attributed Outlaws’ performance—in part—to “the choppy waters" of the Star Wars universe. That's a vague statement if I've ever heard one, and Guillemot neglected to elaborate. Still, the comment suggests that Ubisoft views the larger franchise—film, television, and gaming—as unstable or, at the very least, controversial.
It's not a new sentiment. In recent years, Disney’s Star Wars slate has been accused of oversaturation and tonal inconsistency, though it's my opinion that the inconsistency in tone is a good thing (everyone can get the kind of Star Wars they want). The sequels sparked controversy. The Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi received lukewarm receptions. Even critically successful shows like Andor struggled with viewership (and a recent snub at the Emmys didn't help).
Ubisoft seems to be implying that, despite the enduring popularity of Star Wars, it's no longer as promising as it once was.
There's just one problem with that sentiment: other Star Wars games (and movies and shows) have thrived. Jedi: Survivor was built solidly on the success of Fallen Order, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was a massive hit. Not to mention the resurgence of Battlefront II and the ongoing player base for Empire at War.
So why didn’t Outlaws perform?
More than a few critics argue that Guillemot may be deflecting. The game’s open-world design, while ambitious, follows that all-too-familiar Ubisoft formula—lots of checklists, filler content, and minimal innovation. And, for a game with a scoundrel as the lead, the stealth mechanics took the brunt of the negativity. In a market already saturated with sprawling sandboxes, Outlaws may not have done enough to stand out, and many players felt that the game didn’t fully deliver on its “choose your path” promise.
There were also technical hiccups at launch. Guillemot claimed "the game still had a few items that needed to be polished.” He quickly clarified and claimed they'd polished those issues within the first weeks of the game's release. But maybe release a game already polished before blaming Star Wars' "choppy waters" for a game's underperformance.
Ubisoft’s claim that Star Wars itself shares some of the blame for Outlaws’ rough performance may hold the slimmest grain of truth, but it’s also a convenient excuse. In a media environment where even beloved IPs have to fight for attention, execution matters more than ever.
If Star Wars is weathering “choppy waters,” then Outlaws was a ship that launched without a strong enough sail. And no Force in the galaxy can fix that.