Star Wars Outlaws is set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi so you can do maximum crimes

If you're going to put the word "outlaws" in the title of your video game, then I'd hope there's plenty of opportunity to get out there, have some fun, and do some crimes. This is precisely why Star War Outlaws is set in between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, a senior executive of Lucasfilm says.

Matt Martin, a development executive for Star Wars games and a member of the Lucasfilm Story Group says the gap in between the two films is the best place to tell the story of Kay Vess, the rookie scoundrel who's the protagonist of Outlaws. 

In between the two films, the galactic war is still underway. "The Empire, who basically represent the law, are so focused on the Rebellion," Martin says at a San Diego Comic-Con panel, "that it's really a perfect opportunity for the underworld and the criminal syndicates [to] take their piece because the law's distracted".

LucasFilm’s Matt Martin on why Star Wars: Outlaws is set between Empire and ROTJ #SDCC pic.twitter.com/ivmQYj19DxJuly 23, 2023

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Because the Empire is busy diverting its resources and attention to fighting a civil war, it "creates an environment across the galaxy where outlaws can thrive", Steve Blank, director of franchise content and strategy at Lucasfilm, elaborates in a new behind the scenes video for the game. In the video, Martin also reveals Outlaws will feature syndicates "both from existing lore and newly created for the game".

The video also contains some bits of concept art for various hubs in the galaxy which are home to different syndicates. Further on, art and world director Benedikt Podlesnigg confirms we'll be revisiting Tattooine (sorry, Dustin) before showing footage of Toshara, a new location created for Outlaws. 

It makes sense to set your game about being a cunning scoundrel during a time when outlaws and criminal syndicates have the opportunity to flourish. Combined with a focus on corruption within the Empire, Outlaws is setting itself up for an open-world story I'm very intrigued in.

Star Wars Outlaws isn't just set between two of the original films, it's emulating the look of them too.