For months, the gaming world buzzed with anticipation for Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s ambitious open-world adventure. We’ve seen glimpses of scoundrel Kay Vess, her companion Nix, and their journey through the galaxy’s underbelly, promising a fresh perspective outside the typical Jedi-Sith narrative. The official word came down, setting a course for launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The confirmed release date? Mark your calendars for August 30, 2024.
But absent from that initial star map was a destination many players yearned for: a Nintendo platform. Specifically, whispers and hopes immediately turned to what many believe is Nintendo’s next console, often colloquially referred to as the “Switch 2.” As of April 2025, Nintendo itself has not officially announced a successor console, nor have they provided details on its capabilities or release window. Consequently, any official announcement of Star Wars Outlaws for such a system remains purely speculative.
Despite the lack of official confirmation, the desire among fans is palpable. The Nintendo Switch built a massive install base, bringing console-quality experiences into players’ hands wherever they go. The idea of exploring the vibrant, dangerous worlds of Star Wars Outlaws – from the bustling markets of Canto Bight to the rugged landscapes of Toshara – on a portable device captures the imagination. It’s a dream scenario for many who appreciate the flexibility of Nintendo’s hardware.
Why the intense focus on a potential “Switch 2” rather than the current Switch? The answer lies in the technical demands of Star Wars Outlaws. Developed by Massive Entertainment, known for the graphically intensive Tom Clancy’s The Division series, Outlaws promises vast, detailed environments, complex character models, and high-fidelity visuals designed for the latest generation of consoles and powerful PCs. Running a game of this scale and graphical ambition on the original Nintendo Switch’s hardware presents significant challenges.
The current Switch, while incredibly successful, launched in 2017 with technology that, while impressive for its time and form factor, isn’t on par with the horsepower found in the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. Porting large, modern open-world games often requires substantial compromises, sometimes resulting in reduced graphical quality, lower frame rates, longer loading times, or even scaled-down game worlds compared to their counterparts on more powerful systems. We’ve seen examples of impressive ports like Doom Eternal or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but even these required clever optimization and visual adjustments.
A successor console, presumably more powerful, could potentially bridge this gap. Rumors and industry analysis often suggest Nintendo’s next system will feature improved processing power, more RAM, and potentially ray tracing capabilities – features that would make porting graphically demanding third-party titles like Star Wars Outlaws a much more feasible and less compromise-heavy endeavor. If Nintendo aims for a console that developers can more easily target alongside PlayStation and Xbox, it opens the door for a wider range of blockbuster titles to make their way to their ecosystem.
Ubisoft has a long history of supporting Nintendo platforms. They consistently release their major titles on the Switch, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes later. Games like Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope demonstrate Ubisoft’s commitment to the Nintendo audience. This established relationship gives fans hope that if Nintendo releases new hardware capable of running Star Wars Outlaws without significant drawbacks, Ubisoft would seriously consider bringing the game over. It represents a massive potential market.
Consider the business case: Star Wars carries immense global appeal. Releasing a major open-world Star Wars game on a potentially massive install base of a new Nintendo console could be a significant financial win. However, developing or porting a game to a new platform isn’t a trivial task. It requires dedicated resources, time, and investment. Ubisoft and Disney/Lucasfilm Games would need to evaluate the market size of the new Nintendo console upon its launch and weigh the development costs against the projected sales.
For now, fans eager to play Star Wars Outlaws will find it on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC starting August 30, 2024. The possibility of a Nintendo release hinges entirely on Nintendo’s future hardware announcements and Ubisoft’s subsequent development plans. Until Nintendo pulls back the curtain on their next system, any discussion about Star Wars Outlaws appearing on it, let alone having a release date, remains firmly in the realm of hopeful speculation. Gamers across the galaxy are watching and waiting, hoping that someday, Kay Vess’s adventures will become truly portable on a future Nintendo device.
