Star Wars Outlaws behind the scenes at Ubisoft Toronto

Ahead of Star Wars Outlaws’ launch, I was invited to a special preview event at Ubisoft Toronto. Best Buy Canada got a unique “behind-the-scenes” look at the production and development process that went into the game. I was even able to participate in a demonstration of a motion capture session; more on that later. This is the first open-world Star Wars game created in conjunction with Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment and Lucasfilm Ltd. It was incredible to see first-hand the amount of care and detail that went into the game. I met and chatted with the teams and talent that brought the game to life. Let’s dive into all there was to see at the event and get a deeper look at Star Wars Outlaws.

Star Wars Outlaws details

Platform(s): PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X|S, and PC
Developer(s): Massive Entertainment
Publisher(s): Ubisoft
Genre: Action-adventure
Mode(s): Single-player
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Star Wars Outlaws: a scoundrel’s story

If you aren’t familiar with the game, it is set in the Star Wars universe between The Empire Strikes Back and the Return of the Jedi. The game’s plotline takes a new approach, focusing on a young scoundrel named Kay Vess and her alien companion Nix. He’s always by your side as you look to make a name for yourself in the criminal underworld. Instead of controlling a super-powered Jedi or Sith warrior like other Star Wars games, you are a smuggler. You are more desperate, looking to survive and thrive by any means necessary. As you build your notoriety, you’ll run into famous (and infamous) faces like the Jabba the Hutt and other dangerous cartels. In the game, your main aim is to assemble a crew and try to hit one “big score” to pay off a crime boss in hot pursuit.

Weaving a new story in the Star Wars universe

The visit to Ubisoft Toronto started with a panel discussion featuring the talent and technical creatives behind Star Wars Outlaws. We heard from Kay Vess herself, actress Humberly González, the voice and motion-capture actress who brings Vess to life. González joined by Nikki Foy (Lead Writer, Ubisoft Toronto) and Navid Khavari (Narrative Director, Ubisoft Toronto). It was an enlightening discussion around the amount of time, effort and pressure that is associated with developing a AAA game like Star Wars Outlaws. For all the panel members, working on such an iconic franchise like Star Wars was a dream come true.

Pushing boundaries in Star Wars Outlaws

It became clear that the team wouldn’t rest on the laurels of the Star Wars saga. Luckily, Lucasfilm, the franchise creators, encouraged them to get as creative as possible. As Khavari shared, “…they were pushing us forward to bring something new. This is an underworld story, and we were breaking new ground.” Star Wars Outlaws is set in a familiar universe, but it sounds like there is a lot to discover.

Bringing the iconic films into Star Wars Outlaws

We learned more about the cinematic side of the game and the lengths the team went to craft an authentic Star Wars experience. Bogdan Draghici, the Realization Director on Outlaws, offered a deep dive into the cinematic history of the Star Wars films and how players will see much of this reflected in the Outlaws experience. He went deep into the minutia of Star Wars film directors’ visual styles like George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, and JJ Abrams, sharing how the game will look and feel familiar to fans of the films. As a Star Wars fan, I really appreciated this level of detail, and I think other fans can expect a visually stunning game that pays homage to the iconic cinematic techniques while offering a fresh and engaging narrative.

An authentic Star Wars experience

We also heard from Jason Cook and Michael Hollenbeck, who were instrumental in bringing the Star Wars cinematic experience to life. Cook, The Associate Realization Director, leveraged his visual storytelling expertise to work closely with the team, ensuring the game’s visuals stayed true to the Star Wars aesthetic. Meanwhile, Hollenbeck, the Cinematic Animation Director, focused on seamlessly integrating cinematic storytelling with interactive gameplay, making sure players feel immersed in the Star Wars universe at every moment. They talked about the time and detailed animations it took for things like vehicle movement and ship landing. Their teams worked hard to ensure that the in-game cinematics translated into gameplay seamlessly to keep immersion as high as possible.

Star Wars Outlaws scenes on a performance capture stage

My favourite part of the experience was checking out Ubisoft Toronto’s massive motion capture stage. In this gigantic, 12,000-square-foot space, actors and directors work to realize scenes and bring their virtual worlds to life. Talent fully acts out their scene or action sequence while cameras around the space track their facial and bodily movements. The cameras record the position and movement of these markers in real time, creating a digital skeleton of the actor’s movements. Developers then take this data and overlay it onto digital character models. This process, known as motion capture or “mo-cap,” offers incredibly detailed and realistic animations.

Lights, camera, action!

Unlike Hollywood movie sets, a motion capture stage stays relatively “bare-bones” with only essential actors, equipment, and props. This makes it even harder for talent to get into their roles because they rely heavily on their imagination and acting skills to bring the scenes to life. Without elaborate sets or costumes, you have to visualize the environment and interact with invisible objects and characters.

Despite these challenges, Humberly González (playing Kay Vess) brought the character to life on stage. We got to see the entire process in action, from a script reading to a complete, live scene. It was a big thrill for me as I got to puppeteer Nix, Kay’s alien sidekick, in a few scenes. Experiencing the process in this manner was pretty surreal and quite challenging. I had to follow the script, keep in line with the timing and hit my mark. It was a high-pressure situation that gave me a new appreciation for the process actors go through on motion capture stages.

Filming Star Wars Outlaws virtually

After I tried my hand at motion capture puppeteering, it was time to step into the role of a camera operator. I used a real-world camera to capture talent acting out a scene in a virtual environment. If that sounds complicated, it’s because the process requires a lot of actors, directors and tech to come together.

I was able to walk around the empty stage and the camera displayed where I was in the Star Wars Outlaws scene. This allowed me to try out different angles and approaches to capturing the segment. It offered more context to how real actors and artists collaborate to create immersive and dynamic scenes even inside virtual worlds. The mo-cap experience highlighted the incredible blend of technology and artistry that goes into making a game feel as cinematic and engaging as a Hollywood blockbuster.

Experience a new story in a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars Outlaws

After experiencing a behind-the-scenes look at Star Wars Outlaws, I am more excited than ever about the game. The dedication, creativity, and technical prowess the team has poured into this game is genuinely remarkable. From storytelling to the commitment to the Star Wars source material, a lot has gone into telling the Outlaws’ story.  Get ready to step into the shoes of Kay Vess. There is a new story to experience in a galaxy far, far away.

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