Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam
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Back in June 2024, PC Gamer's Fraser Brown made a wish: He wanted the free-to-play hero shooter Star Wars: Hunters, which was then available for the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, to come to PC. In November 2024, his wish was granted—Star Wars: Hunters was set to launch on Steam in January 2025. But today I have to be the Break-a-Wish guy, because it looks like it's not going to happen, and in fact the whole thing is going away.
"After careful consideration, we want to let you know that the final content update for Star Wars: Hunters on all platforms will be on April 15th," a shutdown message states. "The game will remain playable until October 1st, 2025, when the game's online servers will be shut down.
"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."
Star Wars: Hunters in-app purchases will also be disabled on April 15, when the final update rolls out. Players who have outstanding balances of Crystals, the in-game currency, will not be offered refunds: Zynga said in an FAQ that it's providing a 30-day notice leading up to the end of in-app purchases "to give players ample time to prepare and spend the in-game currency they have purchased."
The closure announcement doesn't specifically mention the Steam release of Star Wars: Hunters, which did not happen in January as planned. The most recent update to the Steam store page, posted on January 9 after a December playtest, says the planned early access launch was delayed so developers could "implement as much feedback as we can." It remains unreleased, and given the looming closure it's almost certain it will stay that way, but the Steam page is giving what you might call mixed signals and so I don't want to make any iron-clad promises.
I will say, however, that even if Star Wars: Hunters did get shoved out the door onto Steam so fans could bang around in it for a few months, the looming end would surely suck any wind out of its sails: Nobody's going to commit to a game that's on a countdown timer from day one, after all. Somewhat oddly, a Zynga rep declined to confirm whether the Steam release will happen or not.
I will also note that this is yet another example of a live service game getting the hook in very short order, despite coming to the table with a big-name license. Star Wars: Hunters only launched in June 2024, less than a year ago, after multiple delays from an original 2021 release target. We have no way of judging player numbers, but the Switch version wasn't especially well received, holding an unenviable 57 aggregate score on Metacritic.
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