Star Wars: Hunters, despite launching last summer, is already shutting down as of October 1. It will be getting its final update on April 15, but the positive is that players have a lengthy goodbye with the game. The publisher Zynga could have taken down the servers much quicker and has let its player base gain access to the game for the majority of the year.
A Sad Goodbye
"We understand this news may be disappointing and want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly," said the official Star Wars: Hunters news blog. "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."
As a result of this recent change, Season 5 will have three more weeks. The shop bundles and events will be re-run. Players who like to check out Ranked will also get an extended period so they can get Kyber 1 rank.
When April 15 comes around, Star Wars: Hunters will be getting its final content update and in-game purchases will be disabled on Switch, iOS, and Android. The support hunter Tuya will be joining the game as the last character. She will be free to all players. The Ranked Mode leaderboard will rotate game modes throughout the year and all battlefields will be available. On October 1, the online servers will be shut down, and Star Wars: Hunters won't be playable.
Poor Reception
Star Wars: Hunters, when it first launched on June 4, 2024, had mixed reviews from critics at the time. It has a 60 Top Critic average on OpenCritic with 40% of outlets recommending the multiplayer live service title. Our friends at ScreenRant, however, gave it a Very Good 3.5/5 rating in its review. "The gameplay is solid, and everything feels as though it is polished and fun, but without much to truly capture the attention of the community, there is a concern that after the initial hype dies off, the matches could begin to struggle with maintaining an active player base," said the article. "That said, this game does have a lot to offer, particularly for Star Wars fans, being a well-crafted entry into the genre of competitive arena combat battles."
Unfortunately, Crystal purchases 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," says the official Frequently Asked Questions page.
Currently, Star Wars' recent gaming history has been rocky. The open-world game Star Wars Outlaws has been called a sales disappointment by its publisher Ubisoft, despite receiving decent reviews. Hardcore Gamer did give it a 2.5/5 rating in its review, on the other hand.