Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm GamesThis year will see the arrival of Star Wars: Outlaws (2024), the long-running franchise’s first-ever open-world game from developers Massive Entertainment that allows players to immerse themselves in the faraway galaxy.
Leading the adventure is an all-new female protagonist named Kay Vess. Female heroes are nothing new to Star Wars (Ahsoka Tano, Princess Leia, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Sabine Wren, to name a few), but there’s something quite refreshing about our new outlaw.
A Hive of Scum and Villainy
Star Wars Outlaws has generated a lot of buzz since it was announced two years ago. But when publishers Ubisoft dropped the trailer last year, fans were beside themselves with excitement.
While the game promises to be an open-world experience, its storyline is focused on the galaxy’s seedy underbelly, which will see female bounty hunter Kay Vess (Humberly González) work for (and betray) crime lords such as Jabba the Hutt, and dangerous crime syndicates like the Pike and ones unique to the game.
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Who’s Star Wars‘ New Outlaw?
Scoundrel, bounty hunter, criminal, outlaw, Kay Vess is an original Star Wars character who will be making her debut appearance in Outlaws. But, unlike many other characters from the franchise, she isn’t associated with the Empire, the Sith, the Rebellion, or the Jedi.
As revealed by Outlaws‘ Narrative Director Navid Khavari in a recent interview with Kotaku, Kay hasn’t even formed an opinion about the war, despite the fact it’s in full swing, with the game taking place between Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983).
“We always knew we wanted to create an original scoundrel story,” Khavari said. “There was something exciting about looking at [this universe] from the perspective of a scoundrel like Kay, who has no experience with the Empire, Jedi, Rebellion, or the Sith.”
He also said that “players will see a bit of themselves in Kay,” adding that she “hasn’t figured it all out yet and doesn’t have all the right answers all the time.”
Kay’s just someone who’s trying to make her way in the galaxy with her “Merquaal” pet, Nix, voiced by none other than Dee Bradley Baker, best known in the Star Wars franchise for voicing all the clones in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 — 2020), Star Wars: Rebels (2014 — 2018), and Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021).
Nix is an adorable sidekick who’s so cute he may even replace Grogu. But who will Kay Vess end up replacing? Well, over time, there’s every chance she’ll become a household name and join the likes of Cara Dune, Rey Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Padmé Amidala.
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Where Is Kay Vess From?
Kay Vess hails from the Worker’s District in Canto Bight, the capital city of Cantonica, which was introduced in Star Wars: Episode VII — The Last Jedi (2017). The planet is best known for its casino that’s teeming with various alien creatures from all over the galaxy.
As a child, Kay learned to become a professional thief in Canto Bight during the Imperial era, but Outlaws will find her as an adult and among the galaxy’s most wanted criminals as she prepares to undertake the biggest heist the Outer Rim Territories has ever seen.
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Comparisons With Han Solo
Outlaws‘ Creative Director Julian Gerighty has revealed that Kay Vess is inspired by the iconic smuggler and pilot of the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo, saying:
“When you think of a scoundrel, your mind goes to Han Solo, it goes to Lando, it goes to Indiana Jones, to James Bond, to Captain Jack Sparrow. It was the fantasy I connected with the most in the Original [Star Wars] Trilogy – as a kid, I was a much, much bigger fan of Han Solo and Chewbacca than any of the others.”
However, he added that Massive Entertainment wanted Kay to be “a little bit more relatable” than Solo and “more of a rookie, a petty thief, who ends up in a situation that’s much bigger than they ever expected.”
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During last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Ubisoft revealed a behind-the-scenes featurette for the game, which features Humberly González, who provides the voice work and motion-capture performance for Kay Vess.
“The stakes are definitely very high for Kay’s journey through the underworld,” she says, “but she learns, she adapts, she sneaks around, and she finds herself in very important spaces with very powerful people.”
The Canadian actress can also be seen performing motion-capture work for Kay Vess in some behind the scenes footage.
Check out the video below:
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González, 31, has appeared in television shows such as Orphan Black (2017) and Ginny & Georgia (2021), and in the popular video game Far Cry 6 (2021).
Star Wars Outlaws Trailer
Check out the trailer for Outlaws below, per Ubisoft:
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Per Ubisoft, here’s the synopsis for Outlaws:
Experience the first-ever open-world Star Wars game, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, a scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.
If you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity.
Outlaws will be released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in 2024.
Are you excited to play as Kay Vess? Let Inside the Magic know your thoughts in the comments down below!