In a challenging turn for *Star Wars Outlaws*, Ubisoft’s ambitious open-world entry in the Star Wars universe is reportedly being outperformed by *Star Wars Jedi: Survivor*—a title released nearly a year earlier. Despite generally positive early reviews at its launch in August 2024, player sentiment toward *Star Wars Outlaws* has cooled significantly, with many criticizing its combat and stealth mechanics as unpolished and frustrating. While Ubisoft promised improvements through updates, these changes have done little to win back those who were disappointed from the start.
The underwhelming reception has translated into poor sales figures, leading Ubisoft to publicly acknowledge that the game did not meet internal expectations. This news hit hard financially, contributing to a sharp drop in Ubisoft’s stock shortly after the game's release on August 27, 2024. The downturn fueled speculation about potential restructuring, including discussions around taking the company private. Still, both Ubisoft and development studio Massive Entertainment have remained hopeful that post-launch content could help revitalize the game’s performance.
Unfortunately, recent reports suggest otherwise. According to insights from VGC and former GamesIndustry.biz journalist Christopher Dring, *Star Wars Outlaws* continues to lag behind *Star Wars Jedi: Survivor* in terms of sales volume. Though exact numbers remain undisclosed, Respawn Entertainment’s action-adventure sequel has proven more resilient, maintaining strong interest even months after its April 2023 launch. A major reason for its continued success includes an expanded audience following a PS4 and Xbox One update last year, which brought the game to more players.
Why Is Jedi: Survivor Outperforming Outlaws?
One key factor lies in brand recognition and established fanbases. *Jedi: Survivor* is the follow-up to *Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order*, a critically acclaimed and commercially successful title. Its gameplay loop, while still demanding, was refined and familiar to returning players. In contrast, *Outlaws* attempted to carve a new niche within the franchise with open-world exploration and non-linear storytelling, but failed to fully deliver on the promise of its mechanics.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment continue to support *Star Wars Outlaws* with regular patches and narrative expansions. The first DLC, *Wild Card*, launched in November and featured a collaboration between protagonist Kay Vess and Lando Calrissian. The second expansion, titled *A Pirate’s Fortune*, is set to arrive in Spring 2025 and will reintroduce beloved character Hondo Ohnaka from *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*. Whether this additional content will be enough to shift public perception remains uncertain.
