Star Wars has had a fairly tumultuous history when it comes to video games set within the wide world of that famous galaxy far, far away. The series has definitely had its highs; Knights of the Old Republic, whether the BioWare RPGs or the similar MMO set in the same era, are pretty legendary, with the original Knights of the Old Republic considered an all-time best RPG. However, there have also been a few duds, along with canceled titles like Star Wars 1313.

Unfortunately, it looks like Star Wars: Hunters is another title that’s about to fizzle out. Even though the game just came out on June 4, 2024, it’s set for a full server shutdown on October 1, 2025. Is this a bad sign for Star Wars games, live-service titles, or both?

What Was Star Wars: Hunters, and Why Is It Being Shut Down?

Star Wars: Hunters Was a Free-to-Play Title That Was Delayed Numerous Times Before Its Release

Image via Disney

Star Wars: Hunters is a free-to-play, player-versus-player arena combat experience set during the important timeframe between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, in a post-Galactic Empire era where the New Republic is attempting to restore and maintain order in a still-torn galaxy. For an exact timeline, Star Wars: Hunters takes place sometime between 4 ABY (After Battle of Yavin) and 34 ABY and includes a pretty impressive and interesting roster of characters, like Rebel War Hero Zaina and Grozz the Wookie.

It seems likely that Star Wars: Hunters was an attempt to jump on the recent hype train of competitive squad-based arena shooters, and it had all the makings of a successful game. Even though it received fairly average reviews from many critics, many fans praised the game for being a lot of fun and not pushing microtransactions as aggressively as other similar games.

Unfortunately, the development cycle for Star Wars: Hunters was a rocky one. The game was initially planned for a 2021 release, and if it had come out then, it might have been successful. However, Hunters went through multiple delays before it was finally released for the Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms last year. A PC port of Star Wars: Hunters was reportedly in the works, but now that the game is being shut down, that’s up in the air.

Why Did Star Wars: Hunters Fail?

Thanks to Delays, Star Wars: Hunters May Have Been Doomed Before It Was Ever Release

Image via Zynga

In a bit of an anti-climax, Zynga hasn’t given a specific reason for pulling the plug on Star Wars: Hunters. Their post about the end of the game said it’s not a decision they’ve made lightly, which is likely true. Star Wars: Hunters had over 790 thousand downloads, but it seems clear that those numbers weren’t enough for Zynga to keep the game going.

“We understand this news may be disappointing and want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly. Your passion and dedication to the game and its community have meant the world to us, and we are committed to providing visibility and updates throughout the transition process” -Zynga

Although it hasn’t been explicitly stated, it’s probable the reason for the server shutdown comes down to a lack of concurrent players and dwindling player counts since the hype of its release, which likely due to the fierce competition it’s up against. If Star Wars: Hunters had been released on PC sooner, it probably would have helped, but compatibility issues delayed it compared to the Switch and mobile versions, and at this point, it seems like a PC release wouldn’t be enough to save the game.

The live-service market is getting crowded, and Star Wars: Hunters definitely isn’t the first game of this type to lose support so quickly into its life cycle. Concord was one of the biggest flops of 2024 and possibly the biggest in recent gaming history, to the point it was discontinued in about two weeks and caused Sony to rethink some of its future plans for live-service games.

Keeping live-service games online is costly, and that means games like Star Wars: Hunters tend to sink if they’re not a success right off the bat. Since Hunters had a long development cycle, it’s also likely Zynga had already put a lot of money into the game. While they obviously would have kept it online if it had been a massive hit, it seems Hunters was only a middling success, and that was enough for Zynga to cut their losses and shut the game down.

Star Wars: Hunters Fans Don’t Have to Say Goodbye Just Yet

Zynga’s Promised That Star Wars: Hunters Has One Last Update On the Way

Even though the game is set to be discontinued, the developers are seemingly going to send it off with a bit of a bang. April 15 will see the final free content update for Star Wars: Hunters, and this will also be the day that in-game transactions cease to be available. This update will add a new support character, Hunter Tuya, to join the galactic fray. Season 5 of the game will also be extended by three weeks, giving players more time to max out their final arena pass

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But as one Star Wars door closes, another opens, as fans of the series won’t have to wait long for a new game. During the upcoming Star Wars Celebration in Japan on April 19, there are sure to be plenty of announcements about upcoming games, series, and possibly films. One confirmed title is a tactical turn-based game made by Bit Reactor and Respawn Entertainment. Not every Star Wars title is a success, but as long as people love the franchise, it’ll always get new games.