If you’re not hyped for Star Wars: Outlaws, then you’re one of two people. Either you live under a rock, in which case I’m surprised you’re even reading this article, or you have heard about the absolutely genius way Ubisoft plans to farm money from its gamer crop.
In a nutshell, there will be three versions of the game launching on the 30th of August.
The Standard Edition has a killer $70 price tag, which, while quite high, shouldn’t shock us as Ubisoft announced this across-the-board price hike for their triple AAA games when they released Skull and Bones.
The Gold Edition slaps your wallet for an extra $40, bringing the cost to $110, and for your extra hard-earned monies, you receive the season pass, which promises two post-launch expansions, a few cosmetics and three days early access to the game.
For an extra $20, you can grab yourself the Ultimate Edition, which includes a few more cosmetics and a digital art book over and above the Gold Edition bonuses.
What’s even more frustrating than these heavy price tags is that Ubisoft has locked a day on mission off for anyone who opts to purchase only the Standard Edition of the game.
The mission in question is Jabba’s Gambit. Originally, it seemed that Jabba, in his enormously large entirety, would be pay-gated, but Ubisoft has now explained otherwise in a response to PCGamer.
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.
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.
Sure, this means gamers will get to kick it with the Hutt Cartel even if they purchase the Standard Edition, but then why pay-gate just one mission?
The answer, I guess, is money, and in my eyes, it’s one of the most ironic things to launch a game about thuggery, bounties and shady dealings when the launch itself is, well, a little bit that.