Ubisoft CEO blames Star Wars Outlaws flop on franchise woes

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot attributed Star Wars Outlaws' underwhelming reception to turbulent times within the Star Wars fandom rather than examining the game's own shortcomings. During a recent Q&A session with shareholders, Guillemot avoided discussing the game's technical issues, bugs, or criticism regarding repetitive gameplay. Instead, he stated: "Outlaws launched during a period when its parent franchise was navigating particularly rough waters." While recent Star Wars projects like The Rise of Skywalker and Disney+ series such as The Book of Boba Fett and The Acolyte have faced mixed responses, fans found Guillemot's broader fandom reasoning questionable—if not dismissive of the game's actual problems. Notably absent from his statement was any mention of the game's launch issues. IGN's Star Wars Outlaws review (which scored it a 7/10) specifically called out monotonous combat and "an excess of bugs at release." Additionally, Ubisoft faced backlash well before launch over accusations of "pushing an agenda," which stirred controversy and divided opinions about both the company and the game itself. The game received its first major update in May with the A Pirate’s Fortune DLC, available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. This expansion introduces a collaboration with the infamous Hondo Ohnaka, leader of the Ohnaka Gang—a character familiar to fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and comic readers. Players assist protagonist Kay Vess in confronting rival factions, uncovering ancient secrets, and running smuggling operations. Star Wars Outlaws is slated for a Nintendo Switch 2 release on September 4th.