Star Wars Hunters Shuts Down, Scraps Steam Release

Zynga, the publisher of Star Wars Hunters, has announced the complete shutdown of the game just nine months post-launch, with plans for a PC version on Steam now cancelled.

Developed by NaturalMotion, this free-to-download team-based battle arena game debuted on Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android in June 2024. IGN's Star Wars: Hunters review scored it 7/10, stating: "Star Wars: Hunters offers lighthearted PvP fun—like a party at the Death Star. It's impressive initially, but not somewhere you'll want to stay for long."

This review proved insightful, as Zynga confirmed that "after careful consideration," the final content update for Star Wars: Hunters will roll out on April 15. The game will remain playable until October 1, 2025.

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"We recognize this news is disappointing and assure you this decision wasn't made lightly," Zynga added. "Your passion and dedication to the game and its community have meant everything to us. We are committed to providing clear updates throughout this transition."

Here are the key dates: On March 25, Season 5 will be extended by three weeks. Zynga will re-run events and shop bundles from the season, and the Ranked Season will also be extended, allowing players more time to reach the Kyber 1 rank.

On April 15, the final content update will be released for free, and in-game purchases will be disabled across all platforms. A new Support Hunter, Tuya, will join the roster as part of this update. Tuya will be immediately available to all players at no cost, alongside additional in-game content. Zynga will also run a final Ranked Mode leaderboard and keep all battlefields and game modes in rotation.

Then, on October 1, online servers will officially shut down, making Star Wars: Hunters unplayable beyond that date.

The shutdown notice makes no mention of the PC version, previously announced for Steam early access this year. Its Steam page now states the game is "no longer available on the Steam store."

Take-Two-owned Zynga is renowned for mobile hits like FarmVille, Words with Friends, and CSR Racing, but Star Wars: Hunters marked its first foray into console gaming. It was also set to be Zynga's first PC release.

"The success of Star Wars: Hunters on mobile and Nintendo Switch led us to expand the game to PC," said Yaron Leyvan, Zynga's executive vice president of games, back in November.

"This is something our community has eagerly requested, and we're thrilled to welcome more players to Vespaara. This also marks a milestone for Zynga as we launch a game on PC for the first time."

Several other Star Wars games are still in development, including Respawn Entertainment's third Star Wars Jedi title and Bit Reactor's turn-based tactics game, expected to be unveiled at Star Wars Celebration 2025.