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When I was a kid, I loved Jabba the Hutt. I know, it's weird. Considering there isn't much to like about the galactic slug, who would readily feed just about anyone to his rancor (before Luke took it out of the picture, of course), I can't really defend my young affinity for the crime lord. But I used to find his iconic laugh and his rather unappealing, slimy appearance absolutely hilarious. At 10 years old I was truly obsessed with the original Star Wars trilogy, rewatching it on VHS until the tapes practically wore out. It was around this time that my dad gave me a Jabba the Hutt toy, which would become one of my most treasured possessions. From a 1997 Hasbro set, the figure had a moveable head that would also make Jabba's tail move, and I was so fond of it.
Even after all these years, I still affectionately remember those days, and the kid in me can't help but be excited about the idea of meeting Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars Outlaws. In fact, during my visit to developer Massive's studio in Malmo, Sweden, last month, I heard from several members of the team who shed light on what it was like to bring one of my favorite characters from childhood to life for the upcoming open-world adventure.
Criminal Empire
Since Star Wars Outlaws is setting out to deliver the ultimate scoundrel fantasy, we'll be venturing into the underworld of the Outer Rim and encountering various crime syndicates. With four planets and one moon making up the open-world of the adventure, one of the most famous locations from the original trilogy is among them, and it's where we'll meet the one and only Jabba the Hutt.
"There's probably no planet more familiar than Tatooine," associate narrative director John Bjorling says during a studio presentation. "But we felt here that we had a very exciting opportunity to really let players explore it in a proper full open-world, and also fully focus on Jabba the Hutt, and the reason why he picked Tatooine as the seat of his criminal empire."
Not only will Outlaws present the chance to explore Jabba's hold over the desert planet first-hand, but it also got the team thinking about what it would be like for the average person to come face-to-face with the crime lord. As much as I was a fan of his at a young age, actually meeting him is a pretty daunting prospect; I can't imagine he's a very friendly fellow to say the least. But this actually speaks to what excites me the most: the idea that rather than playing as a Jedi, we'll be trying to deal with the powerful crime lord as Kay Vess.
Working closely in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, Massive took a lot of care to recreate Mos Eisley and its famed cantina. In fact, the team reveals they even got precise measurements of Jabba's throne room to authentically bring the place to life. We've already seen glimpses of the place in past trailers, with Han Solo in carbonite even making a cameo. Jabba's throne room is a location that has always stayed with me. I felt like I was transported there as a kid when I re-watched the movies over and over - particularly in Return of the Jedi when we follow Leia in disguise as she tries to rescue Solo. And with Massive setting out to recreate it so meticulously, I can't wait to go there and meet the famous resident myself
Old school
Alongside the classic throne room, Massive put just as much effort into bringing Jabba to life. In order to stay as authentic as possible to the original vision of the character, the team even adopted techniques and tricks that famed audio designer Ben Burtt used for the original trilogy. One such trick the team used came as they were working with LucasFilm, when the sound team uncovered an old tape which, as audio director Simon Koudriavstev explained, revealed that a casserole was used to make Jabba sound "slimy".
"I think the tape was literally called 'casserole'", lead voice designer Charles Pateman tells me when I ask about the discovery. "I just love the idea that there's a tape in a box with a bit of masking tape on it, and it just says casserole. And that's an important ingredient in the sound of Jabba's voice."
"One thing I thought was interesting, too" Patman adds, "was that reverb, the sound of the space, that's a core part of Jabba's sound - the room he's in. And when Lucasfilm told us that, I was like, 'Oh, my God, how did I miss this?'"
"Seeing some of these characters on set being portrayed, that I grew up loving, it was just like: 'am I part of this? Is this real?'"
Matt Karpinski, animation director
From everything I gleaned at the studio, I'm already excited to see how Massive brings this character I loved so much as a kid to life, and what it'll be like to meet him in the Outer Rim. It was actually during one of the highlights of my visit that I was reminded of my beloved Jabba toy in the first place. As a lifelong fan of Star Wars, animation director Matt Karpinski proudly showed off his own childhood toy: an original 1977 stormtrooper. When I sat down to speak with him, I couldn't resist telling Karpinski about my plastic figure of the crime lord, and jumped at the chance to ask what it was like to direct mo-cop scenes that included characters we'd grown up with.
"It was incredible," Karpinski tells me as he holds the stormtrooper in his hands with a smile. "Literally I had several pinch me moments. Seeing some of these characters on set being portrayed, that I grew up loving, it was just like: 'am I part of this? Is this real?'. And for Jabba, specifically, the actor did a fantastic job. I thought he would be reading his lines [as he performed them]. But no, he knew everything in Huttese, he was incredible. And having the sets built for that throne room, people really felt they were there and his presence there was fantastic. So bringing these characters to life and being part of Star Wars was just an incredible journey for me".
The Trailblazer ship in Star Wars Outlaws drew inspiration from an unlikely place: turtles.
