Star Wars Outlaws Needs An Internet Connection To Install

thegamer.com:

Star Wars Outlaws got a new story trailer and a release date earlier today, which is exciting news for any of you wanting yet another slice of a galaxy far, far away. Unfortunately, a lot of that excitement has now been slightly tempered for those who champion video game preservation, as it's been revealed that the game requires an internet connection to install properly, despite being a solely single player experience.

Shortly after the box art for Star Wars Outlaws was revealed, people were quick to notice a disclaimer in the bottom left corner that lets people know an internet connection is required to properly install the game onto your system. That probably means that not all the game is included on the actual disc if you buy a physical version, and there will be a significantly chunky online download as part of the installation process.

This essentially means that the physical version of Star Wars Outlaws is next to worthless, as you require a digital download to actually play the game in the first place. Not only that, but if we eventually get to a future in which PS5 games are no longer backwards compatible with future systems, having the game digitally won't matter either when the PS5's servers are inevitably shut down. It's a preservationist's nightmare.

Star Wars Outlaws isn't the first game to pull this nonsense, but it does look like it's continuing a rather disappointing trend in triple-A gaming. You may recall that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor also caught some heat back when it first released for requiring a download to install the game. This was also because not all the game was included on the disc at launch, alongside the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

People who buy physical copies of games are more than likely doing so to own the entire game on a disc, though we already know what Ubisoft thinks about game ownership. It's likely this practice will become all too common in the years ahead, as games become even bigger and more