Ubisoft shoots down delaying Star Wars Outlaws over widespread graphics complaints: "The level of quality of the world and the experience is really very high"
"We are really leveraging our engine, and I think people will love it"
After an outpouring of negative comments surrounding Star Wars Outlaws' graphics, Ubisoft has said it won't delay the open-world game, and is confident that "people will love it."
Earlier this month, IGN debuted 10 minutes of brand new gameplay for Star Wars Outlaws, seen in the video below. The video didn't go down well, with 13,000 dislikes compared to 8,000 likes, and the responses in the comments called out technical elements of the new Ubisoft game, like dropped frames, stuttering, and issues with ripples along sand dunes.
"So we're gonna ignore the frame drops and San Andreas-like explosions?" one comment reads under the video, with another adding, "Why do the graphics look so poor and the particle effect to explosion and Kay's face?" referencing Outlaws protagonist Kay Vess. There wasn't a lot of love for the way Star Wars Outlaws looked, at least.
The negative comments were enough to garner the attention of a Bank of America analyst, who asked Ubisoft leadership during a conference Q&A call earlier this week whether the company would consider delaying the game over the responses. "The game has gone gold, so the date is well confirmed for August 30," said Ubisoft chief financial officer Frederick Duguet.
"We'll shortly be seeing more content of very high quality and multiple hours that will really show the depths of the open world that is a key element of the promise to enjoy the exploration of the galaxy with multiple planets, so that should bode well for the game in terms of high-quality delivery," the Ubisoft CFO added.
Ubisoft is also confident about the final product's graphics. "As we've said also for Star Wars, the level of quality of the world and the experience is really very high," Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot added. "We are really leveraging our engine, and I think people will love it," Guillemot continued.
GamesRadar+ recently went hands-on with Star Wars Outlaws, and spoke to developer Ubisoft Massive about how it crafted the open-world game's story. Check out our full Star Wars Outlaws preview for more, and find out how you can manipulate Star Wars Outlaws' GTA-style wanted system.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.