Summary
From what Ubisoft has released so far,Star Wars Outlawslooks like a pretty impressive game. Being marketed as the first true open-worldStar WarsRPG,Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay trailerrevealed a handful of mechanics and features, most of which look very exciting. From the ability to fly from the planet’s surface into space seamlessly to some light stealth mechanics to a furry little companion that can interact with the environment,Star Wars Outlawshas plenty of intricate systems already present, and it’s all running on the continuously impressive Snowdrop engine.
For those unaware, a video game engine is the very tool that allows developers to create a game. A video game engine will often include extensive libraries of assets, streamlined tools like a level editor or character modeling program, along with just about anything else that a developer needs to build a game from the ground up and get it running. For a while now, Ubisoft has been using its own Snowdrop engine for some of its bigger projects, and an updated version is set to be used inStar Wars Outlaws, though its history is much longer than some might realize.
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A Brief History of Star Wars Outlaws' Snowdrop Engine
Beginning development all the way back in 2009,Massive Entertainment designed the Snowdrop engine to be an accessible, feature-complete tool that would allow devs to create games faster and easier than ever before. The Snowdrop engine was first used withThe Divisionback during its initial 2010 E3 reveal, and some of the engine’s more noticeable features became an immediate talking point when the game was first seen. Snowdrop’s highly advanced PBR lighting system, for instance, was one of the biggest features that critics and fans praised inThe Division, with the lighting interacting with objects in a natural, realistic way. Snowdrop’s impressive destruction physics were also praised heavily.
From the get-go, it was clear thatMassive’s Snowdrop enginewas something special, and the developer quickly allowed Ubisoft to use it across its various franchises. The first game afterThe Divisionto be built with Snowdrop was the critically acclaimedMario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, which launched in 2017.South Park: The Fractured but Wholealso used the Snowdrop engine, along with the somewhat underratedStarlink: Battle for Atlas, and of courseThe Division 2.
Over the years, Massive’s Snowdrop engine has been continuously upgraded with each new release, and in 2021, Ubisoft announced that it would be undergoing a big renovationahead ofAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora. This new and improved version of the Snowdrop engine will apparently continue to emphasize realistic lighting, bringing real-time ray-tracing technology to the table. Along with its improved lighting systems, the upgraded Snowdrop engine will also reportedly feature more realistic NPC AI behavior, along with a new rendering system that allows for even more detailed in-game environments.
While the upgrades to the Snowdrop engine were allegedly done specifically forAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora, this shiny new version of the engine will also presumably be the one thatStar Wars Outlawswill use. AndStar Wars Outlawsis sure to use the Snowdrop engine to its full potential, with its realistic lighting systems being perfect forStar Wars' various colorful planets and locales.Star Wars Outlawsisn’t the only highly-anticipated upcoming game using the Snowdrop engine either, with Ubisoft’sSplinter Cellremake also being made inside of Snowdrop. And with lighting being such an integral part of theSplinter Cellseries, the Snowdrop engine seems like a perfect fit already.
Star Wars Outlawsis coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2024.
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