Again in June 2024, PC Gamer’s Fraser Brown made a want: He needed the free-to-play hero shooter Star Wars: Hunters, which was then out there for the Nintendo Swap and cell units, to return to PC. In November 2024, his want was granted—Star Wars: Hunters was set to launch on Steam in January 2025. However as we speak I’ve to be the Break-a-Want man, as a result of it seems prefer it’s not going to occur, and actually the entire thing goes away.
“After cautious consideration, we wish to let you realize that the ultimate content material replace for Star Wars: Hunters on all platforms might be on April 15th,” a shutdown message states. “The sport will stay playable till October 1st, 2025, when the sport’s on-line servers might be shut down.
“We perceive this information could also be disappointing and wish to guarantee you that this determination was not made evenly. Your ardour and dedication to the sport and its group have meant the world to us, and we’re dedicated to offering visibility and updates all through the transition course of.”
Star Wars: Hunters in-app purchases may even be disabled on April 15, when the ultimate replace rolls out. Gamers who’ve excellent balances of Crystals, the in-game forex, is not going to be provided refunds: Zynga mentioned in an FAQ that it is offering a 30-day discover main as much as the tip of in-app purchases “to present gamers ample time to organize and spend the in-game forex they’ve bought.”
The closure announcement would not particularly point out the Steam launch of Star Wars: Hunters, which didn’t occur in January as deliberate. The latest replace to the Steam retailer web page, posted on January 9 after a December playtest, says the deliberate early entry launch was delayed so builders may “implement as a lot suggestions as we are able to.” It stays unreleased, and given the looming closure it is nearly sure it can keep that method, however the Steam web page is giving what you would possibly name combined alerts and so I do not wish to make any iron-clad guarantees.
I’ll say, nevertheless, that even when Star Wars: Hunters did get shoved out the door onto Steam so followers may bang round in it for just a few months, the looming finish would absolutely suck any wind out of its sails: No one’s going to decide to a sport that is on a countdown timer from day one, in any case. Considerably oddly, a Zynga rep declined to verify whether or not the Steam launch will occur or not.
I may even observe that that is yet one more instance of a stay service sport getting the hook in very brief order, regardless of coming to the desk with a big-name license. Star Wars: Hunters solely launched in June 2024, lower than a 12 months in the past, after a number of delays from an unique 2021 launch goal. We’ve no method of judging participant numbers, however the Swap model wasn’t particularly effectively obtained, holding an unenviable 57 combination rating on Metacritic.