Star Wars Outlaws welcomes rebel scum to the franchise's first open-world game and, despite its galaxies-worth of possibilities, the fanbase collectively opted for the well-traveled route and aimed their blasters affectionately in the direction of the game's droid companion, ND-5.
An initial trailer and poster for Star Wars Outlaws was unveiled by Ubisoft during the Xbox Showcase and, even in his maiden voyage, ND-5's character design quickly turned fan's heads. The game's subsequent walkthrough footage gave fans a further look at Kay Vess' droid ally and their working relationship. Jay Rincon, who has lent his voice to games including Horizon Forbidden West and Dead Island 2, depicts Star Wars Outlaws trench coat-clad BX-series droid. The roguish commando has already inspired Western-style fan art and a legion of thirsty followers on social media.
Star Wars Outlaws is rooted in the canon of the franchise's original trilogy, between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. Humberly González portrays outlaw protagonist Kay Vess, who is assisted in her thieving by ND-5 and the axolotl-shaped Nix, voiced by seasoned franchise alum Dee Bradley Baker. Star Wars Outlaws' ten-minute gameplay footage flexed the game's scope and varying mechanics in addition to setting up the dynamic between Kay and her companions. While Nix was dispatched to complete small tasks and traveled close by Kay, ND-5 represented a more independent entity. ND-5 appeared in the space-faring portion of gameplay as well as planet-side, conversing with Kay in a cantina in Juanta's Hope.
From R2-D2 and C-3P0 to BB-8, droids have always played an iconic role in the ongoing Star Wars saga and often provided crucial support to their humanoid companions. These friendships have been a staple of the franchise, but have also been surprisingly pushed into romantic spheres in films such as Solo, which indicated a relationship existed between Lando Calrissian and his droid L3-37.
ND-5 is far from the first anthropomorphic video game persona to draw the internet's curious affections this year. The highly anticipated Zelda: Breath of the Wild follow-up Tears of the Kingdom gave rise to a Ganondaddy trend on social media. The villain Ganondorf, voiced by Critical Role's Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer, became the subject of thirsty posts and fan art from fans leading up to the game's release.
The budding ND-5 fanbase will have to wait another year to play alongside the droid in Star Wars Outlaws, as the game's Playstation, Xbox, and PC release is not slated until 2024.
Source: Twitter