The latest Nintendo Direct revealed Star Wars Hunters, a multiplayer title that will be available this year and feature classic characters from the iconic franchise. While several details of the Nintendo Direct's contents had leaked prior to the show, Star Wars Hunters is a major surprise, and it's even more surprising to learn that Zynga will be the developer behind the title.
It's fair to expect several Star Wars video game announcements over the next few years now that more studios are being given access to the property. Ubisoft's open world Star Wars games made headlines earlier when it was announced, and even old-school favorites like Knights of the Old Republic are seeing a surge in renewed interest now that there are other developer options for the games. For many years, fans considered the Star Wars video game license to be one of the most under-performing licenses around - and whether or not consumers hold EA largely accountable for that label or not, it's been refreshing in 2021 to see a reinvigorated and more diverse approach for Star Wars video game content.
That resurgence in interest only strengthed earlier during the Nintendo Direct for February 2021, which revealed that Star Wars Hunters is in development and will be releasing later this year. Besides the reveal trailer, which panned across recognizable Star Wars characters wielding the weapons they're known for, not much about the title is known. It's going to be a multiplayer game, but in what vein remains to be seen. However, fans will likely be getting information on Star Wars Hunters soon, because it was announced for release later in 2021 despite being a mystery before the Nintendo Direct.
Given that the title is being developed by Zynga, it's fair to wonder just how many mobile game-style elements will be present within the title. Given its multiplayer lean, there could be anything from a ton of cosmetic options to battle passes coming to the project. For now, Lucasfilm Games employee Craig Derrick shared on Twitter that fans can expect the title to be "a TON of fun, a little quiry, and really different than what you might be expecting from a Star Wars game."
It's the latest example of what Star Wars video games may look like moving forward, now that the license has been opened up and the property is being collaborated on by a variety of studios rather than just EA. With a slew of Star Wars video game projects in the works, it appears the era that saw fans of the franchise starved for quality games will soon be coming to a close - if nothing else, there will be no shortage of them to choose from, and if Star Wars Hunters is anything to go by, the genres will be quite a wide range.
Source: Nintendo Direct, Craig Derrick/Twitter