Star Wars is one of the biggest, most beloved franchises worldwide. The massive fanbase has grown exponentially as Lucasfilm expands its canon beyond films andtelevision. Incorporating games into the mix,Ubisoft Massive(with support from Ubisoft Toronto) has stepped up to the plate, carving out a corner forStar Wars Outlawsin this galaxy far, far away.
While lead development is being done in Malmö at the Ubisoft Massive studio, the Toronto-based branch has been integral to the creation of the script writing and performance capture. As we draw closer to the release of Star Wars Outlaws, there’s never been a better time than now to sit down with Ubisoft Toronto lead writer Nikki Foy and lead actor Humberly Gonzalez, who plays Kay Vess.
Star Wars Outlaws
I can’t get Kay and Nix out of my head after playing Star Wars Outlaws
The more I play Ubisoft Massive’s open-world Star Wars game, the more I can’t stop thinking about Kay Vess, Nix, and their relationship.
Keeping the story grounded led to Star Wars Outlaws centering on the crime world
Foy explains how the process of balancing heart with grounded tones when writing.
As someone who’s grown up with Star Wars, one thing I’ve always fondly reflected on is how much heart and charm the franchise has. Its quirky dialogue nestles in stunningly with a cast of memorable characters. There’s always an air of humor across the properties but great Star Wars stories never undercut their serious moments with a joke. For a game like Star Wars Outlaws, which tackles the criminal underbelly, much like the canceled Star Wars 1313 project, threading the needle was important.
“We have a lot of experience from more traditional television writing,” Foy explains. We [also] have an interactive fiction expert. Everyone’s sense of humor is so different, and the things they liked about Star Wars are so different. When we would come together in the room, someone would present a scene and off the rip, it would feel really goofy or way over the top. But, having that starting point, we were able to together move it down to the grounded tone that we wanted and to keep it an underworld story. We would just find those opportunities and let the folks who are great at writing them go wild.”
Star Wars has transcended generations and become beloved across the globe. Every Star Wars fan has their touchstones going back to seeing the first film in theaters. For others, it could be the first time they popped the 1991 Star Wars game into their NES or being a kid and seeing The Force Awakens for the first time. It can’t be understated how challenging it can be to create a brand-new entry that can speak to every fan young and old.
“I think striking that balance was a fun challenge for us all at the beginning, because everyone has their perception of what Star Wars is,” Foy says. “If you ask someone if they like Star Wars, it’s such a big question, My mom likes Star Wars, but not in the way that I do or not in the way that an eight-year-old does. Their favorite characters are going to be very different than everyone else’s. We’re working on Star Wars, which means 1,000 different things. We all came together to nail the exact vibe and tone of the original trilogy but with these new modern storytelling elements to it.”
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Humberly González draws from her love of pet Oreo to capture the love Kay has for Nix.
Of course, scriptwriting is half the battle. A project brewed by a passionate team can only go so far unless you have the right actors portraying your characters. Fortunately Humberly González, an established actor across film, television, and games was on hand to play the lead role of Kay.
Star Wars is no stranger to leading women. Across the many generations, fans have grown attached to characters like Leia, Rey, and Ahsoka. Kay Vess is a brand-new character. While the estimated play time of Star Wars Outlaws is still up in the air, Kay Vess will quickly become one of the most pronounced female characters in the universe by measurement of minutes on screen. That astounding fact isn’t lost on González.
“I just got goosebumps,” González laughs. “Being a female protagonist in this industry is like a battle, one in itself. I want the representation because how cool is it to play as a female badass? To me, for all of those young girls, when I played games or saw content, it wasn’t always people who looked like me or spoke like me or behaved like me. That is already such a win. I hope that it ripples into the industry. I hope that it’s an inspiration to see that we can create characters like this, and they can be successful and they can be loved."
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The responsibility of representation in Star Wars Outlaws
From a local and cultural standpoint, González wears her background on her sleeve
Alongside becoming a prominent female character in the Star Wars universe, González understands the weight of representing Venezuela for Latin audiences playing Star Wars Outlaws.
“This was a moment for me that it was like they looked everywhere for this person, and somehow this immigrant Latina from Venezuela who moved to Canada and immigrated and decided to pursue a career here and chose Toronto and chose to stay and chooses to be based out of here got the role. And I think that’s a moment to be like, you know, you don’t always have to run away and go [to Hollywood] to achieve what you want.
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