Star Wars Outlaws rating teases the darkest Star Wars game yet
Star Wars games are easily startled, but they'll soon be back, and in greater numbers. While the galaxy far, far away was once remembered for the Battlefront games and the microtransaction dramas of Battlefront II, the Star Wars series is expanding at an exponential rate.
Similar to how the live-action slate is booming with the likes of Andor and The Acolyte, upcoming video games include Quantic Dreams' Star Wars Eclipse, plans for a third Jedi game with Cal Kestis, and Massive Entertainment's Star Wars Outlaws.
Star Wars Outlaws could be a franchise first
We know Star Wars Outlaws is coming in 2024, and while we're yet to pin down an exact release date, the fact the open-world adventure has been rated in South Korea has us hopeful for an imminent update. As game ratings come toward the end of a development cycle, Star Wars Outlaws could be just around the corner.
South Korea's Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) has awarded Star Wars Outlaws an unexpected 19+ rating. The description highlights why it's been slapped with such a mature rating. There's a mention of "a mini-game with content of in-game betting and dividends," suggesting gambling will play a part.
We know the planet of Cantonica will appear in Outlaws, which you might remember featured in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as the gambling hub of Canto Bight. Either way, players are ready for a darker outing that can lean into the crime syndicates of Hutts and bounty hunters.
South Korea's 19+ would translate to an M rating in the West, which would be a first for a Star Wars title. Everything from Force Unleashed to Jedi Survivor has been rated T for Teen, but as pointed out in the comments on Reddit, South Korea's stricter guidelines might not translate to other territories.
One player concluded, "I don’t think this will translate to an M in the States, especially when Disney is advertising that it will tie into the Galaxy’s Edge park later this year, but it will be a little more adult than most SW media. Probably more ANDOR level content, so hard T."
A clone army of Star Wars games is coming
Click to enlargeStar Wars players are being fed as well as Jabba the Hutt right now, and while we lament the loss of Respawn Entertainment's supposed Mandalorian video game, there's a lot on the horizon. Star Wars Eclipse has gone suspiciously quiet, but seemingly coming out of nowhere, Star Wars Outlaws is creeping up on us.
Despite the usual bros having a problem with Outlaws' MVP being a woman, the fact the game is coming from the team behind Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has us hopeful for one of the most ambitious Star Wars games yet.
As other games like Amy Hennig's Star Wars game are in the far distance, and we don't know what's going on with the Knights of the Old Republic remake, Star Wars Outlaws can clean up in 2024. In a time when Star Wars movies face an uncertain future, there's a rumbling in the Force that its games could take over.
