Star Wars Outlaws, set to release on August 30 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, offered early access to players who purchased the Gold Edition for $109.99. This premium package included the base game, season pass, exclusive cosmetic items, and a digital art book. However, the early access perk, which began on August 27, has seemingly backfired, leaving many players frustrated and questioning the value of their purchase.
The root of the problem appears to be a recent update, version 1.000.002, which was rolled out to address pre-launch bugs.
While intended to improve the gaming experience, this update has caused issues for some players, particularly on the PlayStation 5 platform. Reports have surfaced of players becoming stuck in space following certain missions, effectively halting in-game progress.
In response to these issues, Ubisoft has sent an email to affected players, saying, “To best experience the Outer Rim, we rolled out a maintenance to make sure everyone is playing the latest version of the game.” The company then advises players to verify they are running the correct version before taking the drastic step of starting a new save file. While Ubisoft stops short of explicitly mandating this action, they strongly imply that continuing with existing save files could lead to further complications, warning of potential “issues and progression blockers.”
Simply put, Early Access players on PS5 will now have paid money only to lose their progress, which is just the worst thing that you can do to a game that was already generating controversy and is coming off the backs of a more massive and beloved release like Black Myth: Wukong.
While playing a game in Early Access does entail some risk, it shouldn’t mind beta testing an unfinished product.
It’s no secret that publishers often find themselves caught between the pressure to meet release deadlines and the need to deliver a polished, bug-free experience. Hence, the need for day-one patches and post-launch fixes.
Nevertheless, there’s a difference between waiting for a fix and a developer telling you that the only way to solve your in-game issue is to delete your game.
Perhaps the bigger issue here is Ubisoft and its reputation for releasing games with technical issues, even at launch. At the expense of this suggestion falling on deaf ears, Ubisoft might want to prolong their beta testing phases, or at least invest in more extensive quality assurance purposes.
Further compounding to Star Wars Outlaw’s problems is how social media is once again using the developer’s decision to rework the protagonist’s face, which is based on real-life Canadian actress Humberly González, to the point that she no longer looks anything like González, against them when discussing female representation in Western games and games from other countries like China following the success of Black Myth: Wukong.
Despite the setbacks, initial reactions to Star Wars Outlaws are largely positive. Many praise its expensive open-world design and immersive Star Wars experience. The game promises players the opportunity to explore the Outer Rim, engage in thrilling space battles, and carve out their own path in the Star Wars universe. However, the technical issues threaten to overshadow the game’s positive aspects and could potentially impact its reception upon wider release.
How Ubisoft responds will affect the game’s reception and success.
