Lightsabers and X-wings may be all the rage, but what Star Wars fans really love is the shadowy side of the galaxy. There's something irresistible about the outer rim, bounty hunters, hats, and moral grayness, and a video game set in such a brooding crucible has been my dream Star Wars game for years, so much so that back in 2021, Rich and I were trying to make it happen.

Now, if you needed proof that the folks at PC Gamer have the power to change reality, here it is: Star Wars Outlaws has been announced. Billed as "the first open-world Star Wars game," the game follows Kay Vess, a "cunning villain," and her alien pet Nix (a brilliant addition to the franchise's canon of cute dwarfs) as they scour the Outer Rim to pull off one last big heist! The film follows her as she attempts to pull off one last big heist.

She is accompanied by a sort of reprogrammed BX commando droid in a trench coat. Their adventure takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (we even get a glimpse of Han in carbonite). In other words, just before the darkest days, when hope seemed lost and the iron fist of the Empire seemed to surround everyone, and the brightest days, when everyone was blown away by a teddy bear.

Ubisoft Massive is developing the game. The studio is most recently known for The Division and its sequel, but is also working with Ubisoft Montreal on Far Cry 3. There's no doubt about it: an action-adventure open world. Oddly enough, Massive is also working on Ubisoft's "Avatar: Frontier of Pandora."

The cynic in me immediately starts imagining wiping out space bandit camps and climbing space towers, but I have to say that Ubisoft as a publisher is still putting out the most detailed, massive, and technically impressive open world out there.

Right now we only have the cinematic trailer, but tomorrow, Monday the 12th, Ubisoft Forward will be showing the official gameplay. Judging from what we've seen so far, we can expect blaster fights, hoverbikes, and even a dogfight in space.

Come on, Ubisoft, impress me - don't break this old geek's heart.