The latest trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s upcoming open-world RPG set in a galaxy far far away, gave us a deeper dive into the story of protagonist Kay Vess, as well as an August 30 release date. In addition to the trailer, the game has also been rated by the U.S.’ Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The T for Teen rating isn’t that surprising, but what is interesting is new information on gameplay elements players will see in Outlaws. That information includes the first major video game appearance of Star Wars’s high stakes card game, Sabacc.
Most famous for its role in getting Han Solo the Millennium Falcon (a moment depicted in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story), Sabacc is the card game of choice across the galaxy. It’s especially popular amongst the smugglers and scoundrels due to the high stakes betting the game is centered around, so its inclusion in Outlaws makes perfect sense. Kay Vess is probably an avid player of the game, as the ESRB reveals that “During the course of [Outlaws], players can wager in-game currency on Sabacc, a blackjack-like card game with detailed rules.” Sabacc previously appeared in The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu expansion, but that involves directing Sims to play the game and not actually letting the player try their hand at Sabacc themselves.
The latest Star Wars Outlaws trailer does show a shot of Kay Vess playing Sabacc with some other scoundrels, but we don’t actually know how the card game will play out in Ubisoft’s upcoming title. However, the ESRB confirms that it’s a blackjack-like game, which means it will likely follow the previously established rules of the game: players attempt to get a hand as close to 23 or -23 without going over by prompting the dealer to add to their pile or hold off. Sabacc has an added element of risk with Shifts, in which the number value of any card is changed at random, meaning you can never be sure your hand will stay as it is. Of course, being a game regularly played by criminals, there are also a lot of ways to cheat at Sabacc. Hopefully this is something that Outlaws embraces, as learning how to cheat effectively can add some fun depth (such as in 2022 indie Card Shark).
By including a card-based minigame, Outlaws puts itself in the company of other big RPGs with card games such as The Witcher 3 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Though I’m sad it doesn’t include Pazaak, the other Star Wars card game introduced in Knights of the Old Republic, Sabacc seems like a good fit for the seedy galactic underworld.
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