The release of Star Wars Outlaws may still be four months away, but Ubisoft has already come under fire — twice, in fact. Following a season pass announcement on top of pricey special editions, the company dropped yet another bombshell with a paywalled Jabba the Hutt mission, inciting a second wave of outrage.
The gated content is exclusive to the season pass, available in the Gold and Ultimate Editions of the game. As compared to the standard US$70 pricing, these retail for S$109.99 and US$129.99 respectively, with two post-launch expansions, some cosmetics, and a day-one mission called Jabba’s Gambit included.
“Play the exclusive Jabba’s Gambit mission at launch,” reads the explainer. “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.”
The ambiguous wording sparked frustration from fans, who understandably took it to mean that there’s only one Jabba the Hut mission in the single-player RPG. However, Ubisoft has since cleared the air, clarifying with PC Gamer that all players will cross paths with the Bloated One as part of the core story.
“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,” said a company rep. “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.”
Even so, the response from fans is entirely reasonable, as it’s not consumer-friendly to lock content behind season passes and pre-order bonuses. Star Wars Outlaws was announced in 2023 as a scoundrel adventure set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi movies. The upcoming title features an open-world setting, and follows Key Vess, her droid partner ND-5, and her beast companion Nix during Star Wars‘ golden era of criminal activity.
It arrives 27 August for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The Gold Edition comes with three days of early access alongside the season pass, while the Ultimate Edition includes both perks, the Rogue Infiltrator and Sebacc Shark cosmetic bundles, as well as a digital art book.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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