Star Wars: Hunters is the newest video game set in the beloved galaxy far, far away. The four-on-four arena hero shooter released Tuesday and has everything one would expect from a game in this saturated genre, decked out with Star Wars’ distinct blend of rustic wild west vibes and science fiction touchstones.
But what Hunters lacks in originality, it makes up for with its fun, at times goofy presentation. The game’s brightly colored maps reminiscent of the Galaxy’s Edge theme park and interesting cast of heroes and villains pop with personality, marking some of the most interesting Star Wars characters introduced in ages.
Despite being a solid competitive shooter to jump into, the game launched on a limited number of platforms: iOS, Android, and the Nintendo Switch. This has left players hoping to join in on the Outer Rim’s gladiatorial-like games on their 4K-capable machines watching from the sidelines like a podrace spectator during Boonta Eve.
Does publisher Take-Two and developer Zynga have plans to bring the game to other modern consoles, or even PCs sometime down the line? As of now, it doesn’t seem likely.
"We don’t really have any plans right now," Star Wars: Hunters design director Scott Warner told The Radio Times. Zynga did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The decision to not launch on other popular consoles aligns with Zynga’s history. The developer has been one of the mobile platforms’ most prominent creators since video games were popularized on smartphones more than a decade ago. Games like Farmville and Words With Friends helped solidify Zynga as a major player in the games industry long before it was acquired by parent company Take-Two in 2022 for $12.7 billion.
Zynga is sticking to what they know with Hunters despite being the developer’s first foray into the more hardcore shooter genre. With smartphones and the Nintendo Switch being the two most popular gaming devices today by a pretty comfortable margin, Hunters could easily sustain itself as a live service game on the platforms if it finds an audience willing to stick with it.
"You can play on your mobile phone, get home and continue on your Switch,” the game’s art director Dominic Estephane told Inverse. “It's cross-platform. Your progress is saved of course as well."
While this certainly makes a lot of business sense to focus on mobile and Switch, not bringing the game to non-portable platforms seems like a missed opportunity. Even a simple port to legacy consoles like the PS4, where a ton of gamers are still playing 11 years after its launch, could be a slam dunk in boosting player numbers. Conversely, playing the game on a more graphically capable handheld like a Steam Deck would be a fun alternative to playing on the seven-year-old Switch.
Still, for fans of the franchise, the casual free-to-play shooter might be worth a download while patiently waiting for the latest episode of the Jedi whodunit The Acolyte to drop on Disney Plus.
