Star Wars: Hunters - a 'free-to-play' (in-game purchases) arena combat video game

 
‘Join the fight in Star Wars: Hunters, a new video game from Lucafilm and Zynga’:-

New Bounty Hunters, Rebel Heroes, and Imperials populate this competitive arean combat game coming to Nintendo Switch in 2021.

https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-hunters-game-announce
 

'If you’ve ever dreamed of competing in a galactic arena, the roar of the cheering crowd in your ears, a new Star Wars game promises to capture that spirit with all-new characters and Star Wars-inspired locations.

During today’s Nintendo Direct, Zynga and Lucasfilm Games announced Star Wars: Hunters, a competitive arena combat game coming to the Nintendo Switch system in 2021. Star Wars: Hunters will bring players together to engage in thrilling, team-based, multiplayer battles featuring a diverse array of distinctive new Star Wars characters.

Set after the fall of the Galactic Empire, Star Wars: Hunters will connect players in real time to battle in arena settings inspired by iconic Star Wars locales. Play as daring Bounty Hunters, heroes of the Rebellion, and an Imperial stormtrooper, in an action game that immerses players in fast-paced and visually stunning Star Wars conflict.

Today we got our first glimpse at some of those new faces, including a Wookiee warrior and a mysterious red lightsaber-wielding fighter, as holograms lining a graffiti-mottled hallway, which you can watch below.

“Star Wars: Hunters draws inspiration from classic Star Wars stories and settings, but with a look and feel that is different from anything we have done before,” says Douglas Reilly, VP of Lucasfilm Games. “We’re thrilled to introduce this wildly creative cast of characters to our fans on Nintendo Switch, where they can join with their friends in thrilling battles at home or on the go.”

Star Wars: Hunters will be available free to download for the Nintendo Switch, on the App Store and on Google Play later this year. Star Wars: Hunters does not require a Nintendo Switch Online membership to download and play.’

Star Wars: Hunters™ - Official Teaser Trailer (with an ‘In-Game Purchases’ message in the ESRB info logo):-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE_COidlDYk - a 30 second video from the official Zynga Star Wars youtube channel.

Official game website: https://www.swhunters.com
 

I’m not massively into games, but I was watching part of the Nintendo Direct stream on YouTube when this was announced. They showed very little footage, but those character designs are interesting. I heard it’s set between ROTJ and TFA - it seems that Lucasfilm may be dedicating most of their upcoming projects to bridging the gap between the original and sequel trilogies.

Not my area of expertise, but a lot of people seem very unhappy about Zynga’s attachment to the game. What’s going on there?

Yea, the game does look intriguing - and always good to have more Star Wars games given the dearth of them in recent years.
 

I’m not 100% on this, but… Zynga apparently has a reputation for requiring a number of ‘in-game purchases’ for some of their other games - with many claiming it is almost impossible to progress or compete in them without making ongoing purchases.

a Play-to-win - pay-to-win situation 😦
 

Given there was also a big kickback vs EA a few years ago with ‘loot boxes’ in Battlefront II (and also vs Lucasfilm too for allowing it to happen) - I imagine many fans aren’t happy seeing Zynga linked with this game.

Edit:

'Star Wars: Hunters - Welcome to the Arena | Cinematic Trailer - Nintendo Switch:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XrQZ3-QFao - a 2 minute video at the official Nintendo youtube channel.
 

It is a mobile game after all, for iOS and Android. There is a port for switch, but seeing as it is based in smartphones I would be surprised if it wasn’t flooded with microtransactions, even on the switch version 😦

I just that myself and thought the same thing. Three years and it doesn’t look much different than it was back in 2021.

A pity, without the microtransactions it does look like kind of fun.

Other than Outlaws, and maybe the Eclipse game and KOTR remake (if they ever get finished or released), there doesn’t see much new games on the horizon?