Star Wars: Hunters is the latest video game title set in the galaxy far, far away. Launching on Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, Star Wars: Hunters was developed by Zygna and NaturalMotion in Unreal Engine.
The player-versus-player squad-based arena shooter has instantly captured the attention of fans, for its hectic combat and whimsical setup. The free-to-play experience is a part of Star Wars’ canon timeline, and takes place just after the fall of the Empire.
We spoke with Game Lead Scott Warner about the creation of this latest adventure.
There's been a lot of talk about this title being influenced by professional wrestling. Did you look at the WWE 2K series for inspiration?
Professional wrestling was one of the influences for the bombast of the Arena on Vespaara and the larger-than-life personalities of its Hunters. In the game, our Hunters compete on a show called Hunters of the Outer Rim, which is both a live competition and a show broadcast within the galaxy. It’s exciting live entertainment, like podracing.
How did you go about creating a roster of characters that felt balanced and represented the wide variety of figures in the Star Wars galaxy?
First and foremost, we were lucky to work hand-in-hand with our partners at Lucasfilm Games to ensure we were always crafting characters and settings that felt authentic to the Star Wars galaxy. One of the great joys of developing Star Wars: Hunters was creating these new characters and knowing that we were going to be introducing them to this iconic franchise. From Wookiees to a droidekas to Jedi droids to Mandolarians, Star Wars: Hunters has no shortage of familiar motifs for Star Wars fans, but we were also keen on putting a bit of our own spin on them, so you also get Hunters like Utooni and J-3DI, these really fun, creative takes on classic Star Wars archetypes.
Star Wars: Hunters may continue to be updated, are there any plans to see new characters and worlds added to the mix?
Yes, Star Wars: Hunters will introduce new content through seasonal updates. We are looking forward to introducing a lot of new Hunters into the Arena, as well as some other fun surprises for our players.
The game boasts some fantastic characters, do you hope to see them reappear in Star Wars down the line?
Thank you! We are obviously big fans of our Hunters and have been blown away by fans’ response to them. We’ve seen Rieve appear in her own book – Star Wars: Hunters – Battle for the Arena.
Star Wars: Hunters' gameplay is fast-paced and frenetic. Were there any particular challenges in forming the slick and exciting mechanics?
It was important to us, when working with a beloved franchise like Star Wars that has such a massive fanbase, to make an experience that appealed to that wide, diverse audience. But we also wanted to make sure we were keeping more core players in mind and designing a game that has depth to its actual gameplay. I think we’ve struck a great balance in that, with certain characters like Imara Vex, being more accessible while others, such as Diago for instance, being a bit more of a challenge to truly master in the Arena.
Star Wars: Hunters is available to play, right now! For more information, check out the official website.