An Ubisoft spokesman responded to backlash that the company paywalled a mission focused on Jabba the Hutt in their upcoming Star Wars Outlaws game.
Concept art for Star Wars Outlaws (2024), Ubisoft
On the game’s official website, it details that players who purchase the Season Pass “unlock two additional narrative expansions coming after launch, a Day 1 exclusive mission with Jabba and additional cosmetics for Kay and Nix.”
A screenshot from the Star Wars Outlaws website
Specifically discussing this Jabba mission, the website reads, “Just as Kay is putting together a crew for the Canto Bight heist, she receives a job from Jabba the Hutt himself. Turns out that ND-5 owes Jabba a debt from years ago, and he has come to collect.”
A screenshot from the Star Wars Outlaws website
This decision to lock the Jabba the Hutt mission behind the Season Pass was heavily criticized.
Erik Kain wrote on X, “Ubisoft just openly embracing the Dark Side.
Ubisoft just openly embracing the Dark Side.
You Need The Season Pass To Play ‘Star Wars: Outlaws’ Jabba The Hutt Mission via @forbes https://t.co/5VCu5eSSyQ
— Erik ‘daibo’ Kain (@erikkain) April 15, 2024
Another user wrote, “If this turns out to be the case then I’ve completely lost all interest in this game. This is just so unnecessary, man. Reeks of greed.”
Karimugen on X
An Ubisoft spokesman has responded to these comments and others telling IGN, “To clarify, Jabba the Hutt and the Hutt Cartel are one of the main syndicates in Star Wars Outlaws and will be part of the experience for everyone who purchases the game, regardless of edition.”
“The ‘Jabba’s Gambit’ mission is an optional, additional mission with the Hutt Cartel along Kay and Nix’s journey across the Outer Rim. This mission will be available to those who purchase the season pass or an edition of the game which includes the season pass,” the spokesman confirmed.
A screenshot from Star Wars Outlaws (2024), Ubisoft
This is not the only controversy that Star Wars Outlaws has found itself embroiled in. The game has been accused of using bots in order to promote it. Social media analyst and YouTuber MasteroftheTDS shared on April 8th, “Ubisoft has teased a new story trailer will be dropping tomorrow, April 9th, for their upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars: Outlaws. The game is said to be set in a gritty underworld setting, deviating from traditional Jedi-focused Star Wars stories.”
He continued, “However, it would seem Disney and Lucasfilm might not be too confident in the game, as the bots are once again out in force running interference for the game. The bots seem to be claiming that enhanced graphics and Nvidia’s advanced AI technology will make the game worth playing. Will the force be strong with this one?”
Ubisoft has teased a new story trailer will be dropping tomorrow, April 9th, for their upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars: Outlaws.
The game is said to be set in a gritty underworld setting, deviating from traditional Jedi-focused Star Wars stories.
However, it would seem… pic.twitter.com/cqWTszNxXN
— MasteroftheTDS (@MasteroftheTDS) April 8, 2024
The game’s community manager Shauna Jones also appeared to have an animus against white men in numerous social media posts. As shared via screenshots to X by user Kooks12_, Jones posted back in January 2020, “If you’re a white dude complaining that diversity being raised is an issue … then people are going to keep raising the lack of diversity until we see change. That s**ts got to change man.”
In another post in September 2020, she wrote, “Love that if you say you’re trying to be more body positive, white men assume that you’re saying you’re fat and tell you to go to the gym B**** I’m a size 12 …. Being body positive has nothing to do with weight.”
She also wrote in July 2020, “Please don’t tell me gender isn’t an issue in the games industry when you are a white male. Diversity in general is an issue in the industry, I guess as a white male who is not always represented …. its easier to not know or see the misrepresentation in studios.”
She also criticized streamer Ninja for not teaching about “White Privilege” on his streams. She wrote in January 2021, “Ninja is boasting about his ‘white privilege’ by doing this. He has the potential to influence millions of kids and chooses to be a sack of beans. Use your platform for good if you have the opportunity. Don’t do a Ninja.”
Here’s another woke community manager that I found yesterday (working on Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora), with her LinkedIn page where she wrote down all of her responsibilities.
Confirms everything Grummz just stated. pic.twitter.com/izI3x7pg5d
— Kooks (@Kooks12_) April 6, 2024
Former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern, would share a number of other posts from Jones as well as these after she was brought to his attention.
In December 2020, she wrote, “Gamer BOYS ruin online games.”
In August 2022, she responded to a post about Allan Cudicio claiming he was mistaken for a waiter at Gamescom. Jones posted, “This is shameful behaviour. Proof that we can’t make the games industry a safe and inclusive space when the higher ups don’t understand the importance of diversity and are all middle aged white guys.”
A screenshot from Star Wars Outlaws (2024), Ubisoft
In January 2019, she took issue with Days Gone writing, “I’m enjoying playing Days Gone but at the same time, the lack of diversity really upsets me.”
She added in a response to another user, “Like even the camps are full of white people.”
She also took issue with gamers back in 2017, “I know the industry itself is maturing, but the gamers … man they need to sort themselves out :(”
In 2019, she also posted “Yay !! Diversity finally. No more middle aged white men.”
It’s all yt’s fault. pic.twitter.com/7mlSF2H6k1
— Grummz (@Grummz) April 6, 2024
The game has also been criticized for its character design of Kay Vess. X user MangaLawyer wrote in March, “Total Videogame character assassination by feminist developers: Star Wars Outlaws 2024.”
He added, “They are taking all the beautiful models and turning them into chestless Karens.”
Total Videogame character assassination by feminist developers: Star Wars Outlaws 2024
They are taking all the beautiful models and turning them into chestless Karens 💀 pic.twitter.com/OSPMstsaMh
— LearningTheLaw (@Mangalawyer) March 5, 2024
The game’s Creative Director Julian Gerighty also described Vess as a “much more modern protagonist” in an interview with Game Informer.
He said, “I think she’s a much more modern protagonist than we usually see in games.”
He then explained, “She’s somebody who is very much a street thief who gets thrown into things that are beyond her control, and that she kind of has to think her way out of, and that makes it a little bit more relatable than somebody who has all the confidence and sarcasm and just comes off as somebody who is not believable.”
He added, “So having her be relatable in that way was something extremely important for us.”
Key art for Star Wars Outlaws (2024), Ubisoft
Gerighty previously told Edge Magazine via Games Radar that his team intentionally tried to make the character more relatable by having her be a rookie.
He explained that the team wanted her to be “a little bit more relatable.” So they made her “more of a rookie, a petty thief, who ends up in a situation that’s much bigger than they ever expected.
A screenshot from Star Wars Outlaws (2024), Ubisoft
What do you make of Ubisoft’s response about paywalling the Jabba the Hutt mission?
