After over two years of delays and anticipation, Star Wars: Hunters has finally locked in its release date. The free-to-play, team-based multiplayer arena shooter is set to launch on June 4th for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices.
Developed by Zynga in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, Hunters aims to blend the beloved Star Wars universe with dynamic, close-quarters arena combat. Players will be able to choose from a diverse roster of 13 wildly distinctive character “Hunters” at launch, ranging from honorable warriors to devious mercenaries.
“Set in the aftermath of the Galactic Empire’s fall, Star Wars: Hunters assembles a variety of characters for combat in close time while playing within the most iconic Star Wars locations,” explains the official premise.
While arena shooters aren’t an entirely new concept for Star Wars games, Hunters’ eccentric character designs definitely blaze a new trail for the iconic sci-fi franchise. Combatants include the likes of Utooni (two mischievous Jawas stacked in a trenchcoat), the Mon Calamari tech prodigy Sprocket, and the lightsaber-wielding droid J-3DI who fancies itself a Jedi knight.
“These unique and unforgettable characters are another layer of fun and attractiveness to this game,” described one preview. “The fresh reinterpretations of the legendary characters from the Star Wars saga have created them to be memorable.”
This eccentric roster is seemingly inspired by the exaggerated personalities and showmanship of pro wrestling – an influence the developers have fully embraced.
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“They’re larger-than-life personalities, similar to pro wrestling,” said Zynga art director Dominic Estephane. “Each Hunter has their own music theme…and we have what we call, internally, ‘Hunter’s spectacle.’ That is, how would the Hunters walk out on stage and present themselves?”
The main event is about to begin!
Battle hard and reign victorious in the Arena! Pre-register now for awesome rewards at launch on June 4th. #StarWarsHunters pic.twitter.com/tDHzlJNEto
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 30, 2024
To accommodate this theatrical flair, Hunters will have its own fictional “in-universe” broadcast complete with commentators Boz Vega, a retired champion Hunter, and the snippy stat-savant droid LX-1.
As for gameplay, Hunters promises a suite of multiplayer modes tailored to different playstyles. Flagship offering Squad Brawl pits two teams against each other for maximum eliminations, while Trophy Chase adopts a more objective-based format focused on capturing the droid TR-F33.
The showcase competitive environment, however, is the game’s marquee Arena located on the new planet Vespaara. Here, teams will clash in intense close-quarters battles across iconic Star Wars settings with Hunters’ full arsenal of unique abilities and weapons.
After years of repeated delays first announced in 2020, Zynga and Lucasfilm’s ambitious take on a multiplayer Star Wars shooter is finally nearing the end of its development road. Whether Hunters’ bizarre fusion of wrestling personalities and laser-blasting action truly reinvigorates the genre remains to be seen when it deploys on June 4th.
