Star Wars Outlaws director is a "little disappointed" with the Metacritic score, but plans to keep improving the game

Star Wars Outlaws
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Star Wars Outlaws released last week to decent, if slightly lukewarm reception from critics, with a Metacritic score currently sitting at respectable 76 - a score that creative director Julian Gerighty mentions that he's a "little disappointed" in.

"I'm a little disappointed with the Metacritic; Of course, recognition from press and critics is very important to us, but players are really connecting with what we did," Gerighty said in an interview with GamesRadar+. Star Wars Outlaws is the team's first attempt at an open-world Star Wars game, and it's not without its fair share of problems, such as those who purchased the early access version having to start their file over or potentially face game-breaking bugs. 

Despite the problems along the way, Gerighty says that there's a "level of pride, happiness, and sense of accomplishment" amongst the team. Outlaws was in development for roughly four years and the team "literally reached for the stars." 

Even with a disappointing Metacritic score, Gerighty reflects on parts of the game that bring him joy. "Honestly, it's brought me so much joy to see the incredible images being captured and shared. And I think that's proof positive that this is an experience like no other Star Wars experience before, that lets you step into this world and enjoy some virtual tourism."

While Star Wars Outlaws may not have received the Metacritic score the team hoped for, Gerighty mentions "this will be a game that millions of people are going to play for years and years, and we're never going to stop improving it." he goes on to say "Well, that's a lie," he laughs – we'll probably stop improving it, but today my mind is not on stopping improving it."

If you've just started out in Star Wars Outlaws or are about to pick it up, check out our Star Wars Outlaws tips. 

Jesse Vitelli
Contributor

Jesse is a freelance games journalist with almost a decade of experience. He was the Associate Editor at Prima Games for three years and then moved into the world of freelancing where you might have seen his work at the likes of Game Informer, Kotaku, Inverse, and a few others. You can find him playing the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV or whatever hot new multiplayer game his friends are playing.

Read more
Kay Vess and Nix share a meal on Tatooine in Star Wars Outlaws
How long is Star Wars Outlaws?
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
If Assassin's Creed Shadows' delay means lessons have been learned from Star Wars Outlaws, I say: let Ubisoft cook
Hyper Light Breaker early access launch
Hyper Light Breaker devs address Mixed reviews after open-world roguelike's early access launch: complaints are "extremely reasonable," expect "improvements ASAP"
Star Wars Outlaws tips
10 Star Wars Outlaws tips we wish we'd known
Star Wars Outlaws guides
Star Wars Outlaws guide for beginner scoundrels
Hyper Light Breaker early access launch
After a hard launch, Hyper Light Breaker dev says negative reviews were key because "you can’t pay for QA of that caliber! That all comes from true giving a damn"
Latest in Open World
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Death Stranding 2 kiss
Hideo Kojima says "it was very difficult to direct" Death Stranding 2's big kiss scene, but Norman Reedus thinks "it was niiice" locking lips with Léa Seydoux
Death Stranding 2
Death Stranding 2 packs on a third obvious Metal Gear Solid reference with cover art throwing back to MGS2's bizarre box art featuring Japanese pop superstar Gackt
Former Xbox boss says GTA: San Andreas and its infamously NSFW Hot Coffee minigame "signified a maturing of the industry" and put games "on par with movies and music"
Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori
This stunning open-world horse game smashed its $65,000 Kickstarter goal straight away, and it's bringing my favorite part of Red Dead Redemption 2 to 13th-century Mongolia
Latest in News
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
The New Thunderbolts leaping into action
Marvel's New Thunderbolts* comic steals the MCU's asterisk, and the reason why is just as big of a mystery
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"