After much anticipation and controversy, Ubisoft’s Star Wars: Outlaws has landed on Steam, raising hopes among fans that a PC release might revitalize its fortunes. However, early signs indicate otherwise:
Within 24 hours of its Steam debut, Star Wars: Outlaws only managed to attract a peak of 1,582 concurrent players, with a slight increase to 1,778 over the weekend. This figure pales in comparison to other single player games; for instance, Black Myth: Wukong is still bringing in almost 90,000, while Dragon Age: The Veilguard, despite its own controversies, saw 21,700 players on the same day.
Star Wars: Outlaws has been plagued with issues from the outset. Controversy over its art and design, particularly the portrayal of its main character, led to significant online mockery. Critics accused Ubisoft of prioritizing political correctness over aesthetic appeal, which some gamers rebuked as pandering to a ‘woke’ agenda. Backlash that likely played a role in the game’s poor sales and lukewarm reception.
Post-launch, the game faced further scrutiny for its technical shortcomings. Videos showcasing bugs, glitches, and awkward gameplay mechanics went viral, significantly tarnishing its reputation. A particularly damaging issue was a glitch erasing save files for those who had paid extra for early access, potentially deterring further sales.
Ubisoft has responded to this initial criticism by assuring the public that they are actively working on fixes and quality-of-life improvements. ‘Teams are fully mobilized on implementing changes to enhance the game mechanics and overall polish’ Ubisoft said. ‘Since launch, the team has delivered three title updates focused on quality-of-life features and bug fixing, notably improvements to stealth mechanics, NPC AI, and save features’. However, these efforts appear to have failed in sparking the interest of Steam’s player base.
Despite selling around 1 million copies globally in its first month, as reported by Insider Gaming, Ubisoft commented that Star Wars: Outlaws ‘underperformed sales expectations’. This sales performance is starkly contrasted with other Ubisoft titles like Assassins Creed Valhalla, which sold over 1.4 million copies in its first week, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which reached over 5 million sales in three months, providing context to Ubisoft’s assessment.
Ubisoft, however, has tried to put a positive spin on the situation by focusing on access media reviews, which lead to a score of 75 on Metacritic. In contrast, the player reviews were far less forgiving, rating the game at a disappointing 5.3.
In light of these developments, how do you think the already delayed and equally controversial Assassin’s Creed Shadows will fare? Can Ubisoft salvage its reputation, or are they headed for further disappointment?