Star Wars Outlaws won't procedurally generate planets, unlike Starfield
Sized similar to two Assassin's Creed Odyssey zones.
The planets in Star Wars Outlaws will be hand-crafted rather than procedurally generated, and equivalent in size to two "zones" in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
Developer Massive Entertainment - with publisher Ubisoft - proudly claimed the game was the "first ever open-world Star Wars game" on its reveal at last month's Xbox and Ubisoft showcases.
Since then, fans have speculated just how big and open this world will be.
"It's a crude analogy, but the size of one planet might be about [equivalent to] two of the zones in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, for example," creative director Julian Gerighty said in an interview with Edge magazine. "It could be two to three zones. But it's not, you know, this sort of epic 'the whole of England recreated' approach."
It's unclear how many planets will be included in the game, though Gerighty confirms "we haven't procedurally generated an entire planet" - in contrast to Starfield, also shown at the Xbox Showcase.
Instead the planets are a "manageable" size and are "handcrafted".
As for space itself, players will be able to explore the near-orbit of each planet or moon, flying freely in that space and battling the Empire. However, players will land at specific points and won't be able to fly freely above a planet's surface.
What also defines the game's open world approach is freedom of choice. The demo shown at the Ubisoft showcase includes lead character Vess choosing whether or not to bribe an Imperial officer; players can also explore areas through combat or stealth.
"We're really focusing on what 'open world' means to the player, which is full freedom of approach," said Gerighty.
He also discussed the classic 1970s influence, not only for in-game technology design, but in recreating lenses of the era. "So you have the vignetting, film grain, lens breathing, the curvature of a thicker lens, the slight lens flares - all of these things that are very subtle, but come together to give you a more cinematic experience," he said.
That's how Massive, known for its work on The Division, is creating a Star Wars experience authentic to the original trilogy.
Star Wars Outlaws is in development for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, and is set for release next year.
Last month, we sat down with Ubisoft to find out more - and get confirmation that Star Wars Outlaws does indeed include a frozen Han Solo.