Ubisoft already holds a pretty shaky spot in the minds of many players, especially when it comes to charging for extras on new releases. Well, it looks like that cynicism could be well-founded, as the publisher is opting to lock a Star Wars Outlaws Jabba the Hutt mission behind its pricey Season Pass – a mission that potentially has major narrative implications for Kay and friends.
According to the mission descriptor on the Star Wars Outlaws website, the new Star Wars game’s Season Pass won’t only offer access to “two additional narrative expansions” post-launch, but also a “day one exclusive mission with Jabba.” While it’s normal to promise future expansions in a season pass, locking content that’s already in-game on day one behind one is really poor form – especially when the standard editions of new PS5 games and new Xbox games like Outlaws are already retailing for an eye-watering $70.
Just as Kay is putting together a crew for the Canto Bight heist, she receives a job from Jabba the Hutt himself,” the mission explainer reads. “Turns out that ND-5 owes Jabba a debt from years ago, and he has come to collect.”
By the sounds of things, this could very well be an entry point for Kay into the Hutt faction – one of several you’ll be able to work for in the open-world game. A more concrete case can be made for this based on IGN’s San Diego Comic-Con coverage, which stipulates that you’ll be spending a fair amount of time running errands for Jabba himself. If this is the case, then access to an entire faction could effectively be paywalled – hideous.
Alternatively, Jabba’s Gambit may simply be an extension of the Hutt work you’re set to undertake in the standard game, using the FOMO on an extra moment with the iconic character as a means to upsell to the far pricier $109.99 Gold Edition or $129.99 Ultimate Edition – both of which come with the Season Pass bundled in. Either way, having players shell out for pre-existing content leaves a sour taste in this writer’s mouth.
Unless Ubisoft gives some clarification before it’s in players’ hands, we’ll only find out for sure just how integral this Jabba mission is when the Star Wars Outlaws release date arrives this summer. The game’s recent reveal trailer hints at a potential cameo from a major The Mandalorian character, so there’s something else to keep an eye out for once the game finally launches.
For more of the latest news on the best PS5 games and best Xbox games, check out the massive new CoD Black Ops Gulf War leak that lifts the lid on loadouts. Additionally, peep the job ad that reveals an open-world experience is en route to EA’s Black Panther game. Remember you can always follow us on Google News too, so that you’re always up to date.