Star Wars Outlaws Sales Disappoint

Summary

• Star Wars Outlaws is underperforming compared to 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
• Ubisoft's stock price significantly decreased following Star Wars Outlaws' August 2024 launch.
• Negative player feedback regarding combat and stealth mechanics contributed to the game's poor reception.

Adding to the challenges facing 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 impacted its performance. While Ubisoft addressed these issues with subsequent updates, they failed to fully reverse the negative initial reception.

This underwhelming performance translated into disappointing sales, with Ubisoft acknowledging the game fell short of expectations in September. The launch of Star Wars Outlaws on August 27, 2024, triggered a sharp drop in Ubisoft's stock price, raising concerns about the publisher's future and prompting 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.

Recent reports from VGC and journalist Christopher Dring further dampen these hopes, revealing Star Wars Outlaws' underperformance and its being outsold by Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. While precise sales figures remain undisclosed, Respawn Entertainment's single-player sequel clearly outperformed the open-world title. In Europe, Star Wars Outlaws' ranking at 47th best-selling game of 2024 underscores its struggles.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Outselling Star Wars Outlaws

Several factors likely contributed to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's success over Star Wars Outlaws. Jedi: Survivor, a highly anticipated sequel to the successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its April 2023 release. Furthermore, a PS4 and Xbox One update released last year by EA and Respawn rekindled interest in Cal Kestis's adventure.

In contrast, Outlaws struggled to gain traction, despite ongoing updates and DLC releases from Massive Entertainment. The first expansion, Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card, launched in November, introducing Kay Vess and Lando Calrissian. A second DLC, Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune, featuring Hondo Ohnaka, is scheduled for Spring 2025.