Star Wars: Hunters

Star Wars: Hunters
Developer(s)Zynga
NaturalMotion
Publisher(s)Zynga
Composer(s)Gordy Haab
SeriesStar Wars
EngineUnreal Engine[2]
Platform(s)
ReleaseJune 4, 2024[1]
Genre(s)Action game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Star Wars: Hunters is a free-to-play player-vs-player competitive arena combat game developed by Zynga for Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android, and released on June 4, 2024.[3][4] The game takes place after the fall of the Galactic Empire, featuring a new cast of characters including bounty hunters, rebellion heroes and imperial stormtroopers.

Gameplay

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Star Wars: Hunters is a squad-based arena shooter. Set between the events of Episode VI and Episode VII, players fight in settings inspired by Star Wars locations.[5] The game features a diverse set of characters including a Wookiee warrior, a Dark Side Force user, a bounty hunter, and an Imperial Stormtrooper.[6]

Development

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On August 18, 2018, Zynga and Disney brokered a deal for a Star Wars game on mobile to be developed by Zynga and its subsidiary NaturalMotion.[7] Star Wars: Hunters was formally announced during the Nintendo Direct presentation on February 17, 2021 with a teaser trailer with initial plans to release the game by the end of 2021.[8][5] The first gameplay footage was shown off in September 2021 after during an Apple Event while showcasing the iPad Mini. A cinematic trailer was released shortly after depicting some of the characters featured in the game, including the Sith warrior, Rieve and Mandalorian, Aran Tal.[9]

In late 2021, Star Wars: Hunters was soft-launched on Android devices in India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, and Indonesia.[10] Despite this, on July 18, 2022, Zynga announced that the official release of Star Wars: Hunters would be delayed until 2023.[11][12] However, the game did not release, and on November 8, 2023, Zynga's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, announced during its quarterly earnings call that Star Wars: Hunters had been once again delayed and is now scheduled to release in 2024.[13][14]

A tech demo of Hunters was shown at Game Developers Conference 2024's State of Unreal, confirming that the game will run on an unspecified iteration of the Unreal Engine.[2] Weeks later, Zynga announced that the game would finally launch on June 4, after multiple delays.[1]

Reception

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Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the game a score of 57 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ivan, Tom (May 1, 2024). "The long-delayed Star Wars Hunters hits Switch and mobile in June". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b rawmeatcowboy (March 20, 2024). "Unreal Engine tech demo shows off new gameplay for STAR WARS: Hunters". GoNintendo. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Phillips, Tom (November 9, 2023). "Zynga's continually-delayed Star Wars: Hunters has been pushed back once again". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Brooks, Dan (April 30, 2024). "Star Wars: Hunters Release Date, Cinematic Trailer Revealed". StarWars.com. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Dornbush, Jonathon (February 17, 2021). "Star Wars Hunters Announced for Nintendo Switch from Zynga". IGN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Wen, Alan (February 18, 2021). "Star Wars: Hunters Coming to Switch in 2021". NME. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Salinas, Sara (August 22, 2018). "Game maker Zynga's stock skyrockets after landing partnership with Disney to make 'Star Wars' games". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Skrebels, Joe (February 11, 2021). "Unrevealed Star Wars Game from Zynga Aiming to Launch By the End of 2021". IGN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  9. ^ Moore, Jared (September 15, 2021). "Star Wars: Hunters Will Let You Play as a Jawa Standing on Another Jawa's Shoulders". IGn. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  10. ^ Kannan, Madhavan (November 17, 2021). "Star Wars Hunters soft-launched in selected regions: Here's how to download and play". GamingonPhone. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  11. ^ Bishop, Rollin (July 18, 2022). "Star Wars: Hunters Delayed". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  12. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (July 19, 2022). "Star Wars Hunters: New PvP Shooter Delayed". IGN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  13. ^ Phillips, Tom (November 9, 2023). "Zynga's continually-delayed Star Wars: Hunters has been pushed back once again". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (November 9, 2023). "Overwatch-Style Shooter Star Wars Hunters Delayed Again". IGN. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  15. ^ "Star Wars: Hunters". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
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