Summary
- Star Wars Outlaws is underperforming compared to 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
- Ubisoft's stock prices experienced a significant drop following Star Wars Outlaws' August 2024 launch.
- Negative player feedback regarding combat and stealth mechanics impacted the game's reception.
Adding to the challenges faced by Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft's open-world title is reportedly being outsold by 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Despite initially positive reviews upon its August 2024 release, player dissatisfaction with the combat and stealth mechanics significantly hampered its success. While Ubisoft addressed these issues through updates, they proved insufficient to reverse the negative initial reception.
This underwhelming performance resulted in disappointing sales, falling short of Ubisoft's expectations, as acknowledged by the company in September. The subsequent sharp decline in Ubisoft's stock price shortly after the game's August 27, 2024 launch fueled concerns about the publisher's future and sparked discussions about a potential privatization. However, Ubisoft and developer Massive Entertainment remain optimistic about the game's long-term prospects, pinning their hopes on planned post-launch DLC.
Further dampening these hopes, a recent report by VGC and former GamesIndustry.biz journalist Christopher Dring revealed that Star Wars Outlaws is not only underperforming but is also being outsold by Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. While precise sales figures remain undisclosed, Respawn Entertainment's single-player action sequel has demonstrably outperformed the open-world title. In Europe, Star Wars Outlaws recently ranked 47th in 2024's best-selling video game charts.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Outselling Star Wars Outlaws
Several factors likely contribute to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's superior performance. As a sequel to the successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it benefited from an established fanbase and received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its April 2023 release. Furthermore, a PS4 and Xbox One update released by EA and Respawn last year reignited interest in Cal Kestis's adventure.
Conversely, Outlaws has struggled to gain traction, despite ongoing updates and story DLC from Massive Entertainment. The first expansion, Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card, released in November, introduced Kay Vess and Lando Calrissian. A second DLC, Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune, is scheduled for Spring 2025 and will feature the return of the popular Star Wars: The Clone Wars character, Hondo Ohnaka.
