Star Wars Outlaws devs say keeping the open-world game 'authentic to the original trilogy' was 'very important' and required 'a lot of special care'

Star Wars Outlaws developers prioritized authenticity to the original trilogy, aiming to create an immersive experience that feels like stepping directly into those movies. Their dedication to design aesthetics and inspiration from George Lucas and Ralph McQuarrie ensures a nostalgic feel for fans.

Star Wars Outlaws' authenticity to the original movie trilogy was "very important" to developer Massive Entertainment, so much so that the devs wanted to make players "feel as if you are stepping into those movies and are actually there."

That 'classic' feel to Outlaws has been noticeable since the game was first revealed, and Massive definitely delivered in the final release. In our Star Wars Outlaws review, editor-in-chief Josh West notes that the devs have managed to create an "incredible sense of place through its open worlds, accurately capturing the look and feel of the original trilogy of movies," which is exactly what many fans had been hoping for.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, lead concept artist Samuel De Vos and associate art director Marthe Jonkers tell us about the "special care" that went into keeping Outlaws' additions to the Star Wars universe "authentic" overall. De Vos says: "Star Wars is one of the most established IPs in the world, so creating authentic additions to that universe takes a lot of special care. We looked at what inspired [Star Wars creator] George Lucas and [conceptual designer] Ralph McQuarrie in the first place to make sure that the very base of our ideation came from a similar place."

De Vos notes that with Outlaws belonging to the original trilogy timeline, it has "a lot of '60s and '70s designs," which you can see in the design of the Trailblazer ship. "You might see a '70s monorail design is quite apparent in its construction, combined with the very grounded elements that you see all throughout Star Wars."

Jonkers adds: "It was very important that we were authentic to the original trilogy. We wanted it so that if you play Outlaws you feel as if you are stepping into those movies and are actually there.

"We printed out Ralph McQuarrie's designs and enlarged them, and they hung all around the office so that we were always surrounded by those visuals," the associate art director continues. "Looking at that art, McQuarrie had a lot of surprising ideas that didn't necessarily make it to the movies, so we tried to take a similar approach in how we designed Outlaws as well."

Needless to say, it definitely feels like Massive was able to pull this authentic feel off, which I'd imagine may end up cementing Outlaws as one of the best Star Wars games for nostalgic fans.

If you're getting stuck into Massive's new open-world adventure, be sure to check out our guide to Star Wars Outlaws factions to see who you should buddy up with.