Zynga has announced that it will be shutting down its free-to-play arena shooter game Star Wars: Hunters. Released last year for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, the free-to-play game offered a fun Star Wars-inspired shooter experience, although it never really felt like it caught on with the masses. As a result, Zynga will be shutting down the servers later this year.
According to the developer's announcement post, Star Wars: Hunters will receive one final content update in April before the online servers are officially shut down in October. Season 5 will be extended by three weeks beginning March 25th and will feature a re-run of events and shop bundles from the Season. The Ranked Season will also be extended, which will give players more time to hit Kyber 1 rank.
One final content update will be released on April 15th. It will introduce the new Support Hunter, Tuya, who will be immediately playable for all users at no extra cost. All in-game purchases will also be disabled across all platforms with this update, and Zynga has already confirmed that any Crystal Purchases made between now and then will not be refunded.
"The intention of the 30-day notice we are giving between March 14th and turning off in-app purchases on April 15th is to give players ample time to prepare and spend the in-game currency they have purchased," Zynga said in the FAQ.
Star Wars: Hunters will remain available to download and play until October 1st which is when the online servers will officially shut down. At that point,t he game will no longer be playable.
"Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey and for the time you’ve spent playing Star Wars: Hunters," Zynga said.
Developed by Zynga, Star Wars: Hunters launched for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android device on June 4, 2024. The game was supposed to launch on PC in January of this year but was delayed with no new date given. With news of its shutdown, it will obviously not be coming to PC anymore.
Star Wars: Hunters was a free-to-play shooter that failed to stand out in a crowded space. The game was set between the events of Episode VI and Episode VII, after the fall of the Galactic Empire. Players fight in arenas inspired by Star Wars locations with a diverse cast of fun characters to choose from. The game offered solid mechanics and a fun experience in bursts, but failed to capture the long term attention needed to sustain itself.