The idea of an open-world Star Wars game is an obvious cause for celebration, and after Respawn Entertainment's Jedi games gave a 'new hope' to the galaxy far, far away there seems to be an invigorated fandom for the sci-fi series. However, with all the love and hype there comes the unfortunate dark side of the Force. 

Star Wars Outlaws is ready to jump to lightspeed for its August 30 release date, and while Massive Entertainment has managed to turn around some of its sceptics thanks to an extended gameplay showcase at June's Ubisoft Forward event, there's still an alarming number who are avoiding it like the Darth Plagueis. 

Star Wars Outlaws fans tell you to ignore the haters

Outlaws has gone gold, meaning it's in the final stretch of the Kessel Run before we can play as Kay Vess. Coming across as a smart-talking female equivalent of Han Solo (he's frozen in carbonite during the events of Outlaws), she's hoping to be the next Cal Kestis as a video game character who can break into the wider franchise's popularity.

It's fair to say that the recent reception toward Star Wars has been icier than a trip to Hoth, with female-led outings like Ahsoka and The Acolyte bearing the brunt of it. The same can be said of Outlaws, with all the usual misogyny that Kay Vess is 'ugly'. Thankfully, a loyal army of rebels is standing by the AAA title.

On the Outlaws Reddit, u/teller-of-stories asked whether fans think the recent backlash could affect Outlaws. One fan pointed out that this is likely a vocal minority, saying, "Honestly, at this point, the hate feels so forced" - reminding us of the Starfield pronouns debacle. 

Someone else said, "No, because I don't care about the hate. I love all Star Wars. I'm really loving the Acolyte so far. Everyone is always so negative, it's exhausting. I want to just enjoy things for what they are. So, I do." 

A third added, "You’re in an echo chamber (with me sometimes…) but nonetheless, Reddit and the 'hate' you're seeing doesn’t begin to touch the surface of the actual populace out there consuming this stuff and going on their merry way." 

Reminding us that Outlaws' fate rests in how it sells, someone concluded, "It's important to remember that the "haters" are little more than a very vocal minority. Disney doesn't care what people are saying online. They care about how the game sells. If the game sells well then I'd say it's almost guaranteed we get a sequel."

It's refreshing to see something a little more positive when it comes to Outlaws, and it reassures us the majority of Star Wars fans aren't looking for a reason to dunk on the franchise. Massive Entertainment was always fighting an uphill struggle against those few who can't accept a female protagonist, and whatever your views on Ubisoft aside, Outlaws can hopefully prove its haters wrong.