No One Working on Star Wars Outlaws Expected the Hot Droid Thirst

There was a lot of surprise when Star Wars Outlaws was first announced. An open-world game? With a smuggler protagonist? Set during a really interesting period of the Original Trilogy? Also, is that droid really hot or what?

No one could’ve possibly expected that the announcement of a new big-budget Star Wars game could get overshadowed by the internet falling for a Commando Droid in a trench coat–least of all the team behind Outlaws.

“Anyone who tells you this was anticipated is lying,” Navid Khavari told GamesHub recently about the unlikely reaction to ND-5, the unexpected latest hottie of the Star Wars gaming universe. “I feel very confident in saying that. I still remember, on announce, the tweets started to pop up and I texted [Jay Rincon, the actor behind ND-5] like ‘Jay, get ready’.”

A former Commando Droid in the Clone War, in Outlaws ND-5 becomes a close confidant of Kay Vess, the game’s protagonist. Learned in the ways of the criminal underworld, ND-5’s protective but gruff persona in early footage–as well as the striking silhouette he cuts, his lithe battle droid frame complemented by a long, flowing trench coat–made him an instant hit online. “The word sexy, or anything like that, it was never used [in development],” Rincon said of establishing the character. “The artwork was brilliant, I was blown away when I first saw it and obviously that helped lead and guide what we ultimately have come up with… but there’s nothing sexy about sitting in the skintight suit with all the markers on, and that crazy fishnet.”

That fishnet, apparently, is what Rincon wore during motion capture sessions to replicate the flow of ND-5’s coat. A little less glamorous than a nice coat, perhaps, but it set in motion the Star Wars love affair heard ’round the galaxy. One that will hopefully flourish when we get to know ND-5 a little better when Outlaws releases August 30.

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