We Interview: Star Wars Outlaws Art & World Director Benedikt Podlesnigg and Associate Art Director Marthe Jonkers

After spending four hours in the world of Star Wars Outlaws (which you can read that preview here), we had the opportunity to talk with some of the people who made that happen. Art and World Director Benedikt Podlesnigg and Associate Art Director Marthe Jonkers agreed to an interview, and gave us a lot of insight on just what makes Star Wars Outlaws tick. Listening to them passionately speak on Star Wars Outlaws only makes us more excited to get hands-on with the full game, which is only a month away.

To begin, we had to ask a somewhat obvious question. At what point did it hit you that you were working on a Star Wars project? It’s such a big franchise and cultural phenomenon that you’d imagine someone might freak out at the prospect of bringing their own ideas to Star Wars.

Benedikt is no stranger to working on Star Wars projects, having done so in the past, but he had something fun to reveal. In a conversation with his associate art director on The Division, they had a running joke of, “Wouldn’t it be awesome to work on a Star Wars project with the Snowdrop engine and doing an open-world Star Wars game?”. This was well before the Outlaws discussions began, so when they started it felt like a dream come true; the project they had always dreamt to do.

In the beginning of working on the game, Benedikt recalled the feeling of, “I know Star Wars, I’ve watched the shows and movies, read the books, etc.”, but working on the game and with Lucasfilm Games brought a new level of understanding of the lore with it. It was a realization of surface level knowledge, and going back to the basics and origins of Star Wars.

Marthe had a similar dream of working on an open-world Star Wars project, along with the same realization of just how little they knew of the massive breadth of Star Wars. Working on Outlaws brought a lot to the table in terms of learning, with Lucasfilm Games providing access to concept art, photos of the set from the Original Trilogy, and more. The process of getting to where they are now was fantastic and a wild journey for her.

Bouncing off our previous question, it was easy to lead into the next one. How do you manage to create something fresh while still staying in the guidelines of an already established world, especially one already as dense as the Star Wars universe? After all, Star Wars is humongous and a lot of things at this point, but you want to stay true to its core.

The starting point for that, Benedikt responded, was to avoid looking at just Star Wars references, like the movies and shows. Instead, look to what inspired Lucas as he created the franchise. For instance, the space battles were inspired by WWII dogfights, Kurosawa brought the samurai themes, spaghetti westerns, all things that kindled the imagination of Lucas. Star Wars Outlaws itself even has drawn inspiration from the swashbuckling in Errol Flynn movies.

Marthe followed up with how they wanted to create something original while staying in line with what’s established, and following that same methodology that was used in the Original Trilogy. For example, in the Original Trilogy, the vehicle designs were made from models of WWII-era planes and racecars. Benedikt dug into that, and they found a list of the kit models they used. From there, they used the exact same models to create new vehicles in Outlaws. What an amazing story!

From something old to completely new, Toshara is a moon developed just for Outlaws. Our previous question dealt with creating something fresh in the large Star Wars universe, and Toshara fits that to a tee. What was it like collaborating with Lucasfilm to craft something of this magnitude? Were there any expectations from them or intimidation in working on it?

The answer to that question was how the team had worked on their previous series – The Division and The Division 2. Benedikt elaborated on this point, saying they really dug deep into the world building. They created the surface level, things like the African savannah-style plains, the natives who originated there, and even built a history that fits into the greater Star Wars timeline. There’s full documentation that you could make a book from what the team assembled, down to even the gravity winds in the space region.

Listening to Benedikt discuss how the debris in space affected the planet, or the different vegetation and edible plant life influence what the Tosharans wear fills you with an appreciation for how dedicated the group is to Star Wars and their craft. Being able to work with Lucasfilm Games allowed Massive to understand what was going on in the higher timeline, and use that to their advantage. This allowed Toshara to be connected in the right ways.

Creatures are another big part of Star Wars, and Marthe brought that up in answering this particular question. They wanted to make sure these were consistent and connected as well, working within their environments. We asked a follow up question in regards to this, Are there any new creatures skittering around the world you’d like to talk about and show off? Which one (including any existing ones) is your favorite?

She went right away to the Gushiro (pictured above), little marmoset-like creatures I remember petting on Toshara. Marthe loves the design they chose, being in line with the biome, from the colors to their hiding in the grass. Benedikt also mentioned how petting them would influence even the others around, as one time as he petted a Gushiro and the pack started following him as Kay walked away.

Our final question stuck with the theme of creatures, but was in regards to our favorite little merqaal, Nix. We love Nix to death. What was the process in creating him, bringing him to life, and deciding to make him the co-star of Outlaws?

It was easy to see the smile the mention of Nix brought to the face of Marthe as she replied. She called him a main character, with him and Kay being a duo rather than him being just a companion. It was important to the team to create a creature that was believable, as the merqaal didn’t exist in Star Wars prior to Outlaws. They made sure he was a capable and strong animal; it would be feasible that Nix could actually do the things you’d be asking him to do via the story and your commands. His scales, claws, and sharp teeth, all were representative of his strength. Still, they wanted him to be relatable and be able to be close to Kay, with the soft fur on his belly. Nix is well-balanced, and he’s more than just a pet, even if the team was inspired by their own.

Speaking with both Benedikt and Marthe was a highlight of our time with Star Wars Outlaws, and continues to show us the dedication Massive Entertainment has to their game. Our thanks go out to them both! Star Wars Outlaws releases August 30th (this month!) on Xbox Series consoles, PlayStation 5, and PC.

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