Summary
- Star Wars Outlaws is being outsold by 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
- Ubisoft’s stocks dropped sharply following the launch of Star Wars Outlaws in August 2024.
- Players dislike the game's combat and stealth mechanics.
In a disappointing turn for Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft's ambitious open-world title is being outsold by 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Despite receiving largely positive initial reviews upon its launch in August 2024, Star Wars Outlaws has faced significant backlash from players, particularly regarding its combat and stealth mechanics. Ubisoft has attempted to address these issues in subsequent updates, but these efforts have not been enough to win back early detractors.
The financial performance of Star Wars Outlaws has been underwhelming, failing to meet Ubisoft's sales expectations, as acknowledged by the company in September. The launch of Star Wars Outlaws on August 27, 2024, was followed by a sharp decline in Ubisoft's stock prices, heightening concerns about the company's future and sparking discussions about potential privatization. Despite these challenges, Ubisoft and developer Massive Entertainment remain hopeful about the game's recovery, buoyed by plans for post-launch DLC.
Recent reports from VGC and former GamesIndustry.biz journalist Christopher Dring have further dampened this optimism, revealing that Star Wars Outlaws is not only underperforming but is being outsold by Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, a sequel to Respawn Entertainment's successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. While exact sales figures have not been disclosed, Star Wars Outlaws was recently ranked the 47th best-selling video game of 2024 in Europe.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is Outselling Star Wars Outlaws
Several factors may explain why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is outperforming Star Wars Outlaws. As an established sequel to the well-received Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor benefited from strong critical acclaim upon its release in April 2023. Additionally, EA and Respawn's release of an update for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on PS4 and Xbox One in the previous year helped reignite interest in the adventures of Cal Kestis.
Conversely, Star Wars Outlaws has struggled to capture a significant audience, despite ongoing efforts by Massive Entertainment to improve the game with updates and story DLC. The first expansion, Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card, released in November, featured Kay Vess teaming up with Lando Calrissian. The second DLC, Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune, is slated for a Spring 2025 release and will introduce the beloved Star Wars: The Clone Wars character Hondo Ohnaka.
