‘Star Wars: Hunters’ Unveils New Characters, New Maps, New Huttball Game Mode, and More

Announced almost exactly a year ago during a Nintendo Direct live stream, Star Wars: Hunters is a 4v4 arena combat game from Zynga that is heading to iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch later this year. Originally shooting for release in 2021, last September the game’s launch window was bumped to 2022 alongside the release of a new cinematic trailer. Then in December a new gameplay trailer was released giving potential players the first glimpse at the game in action. Now Zynga is continuing their drip feed of Star Wars: Hunters details by unveiling two new playable characters and more.

First up is Sprocket, the self-proclaimed #1 fan of Hunters of the Outer Rim, the TV game show that is the premise behind all the arena combat in Star Wars: Hunters. He’s a grade A genius and utilizes all sorts of cool tech and droids which he commands from the comfort of his custom Command Chair. Next is Skora, who utilizes a special gun that can heal her teammates while also harming her opponents. She is described as “exactly the kind of scum and villainy you want on your side in The Arena.” Talk about your backhanded compliments.

Along with these two character reveals, Zynga has also announced a new game mode called Huttball. However, as GameSpot points out, this is actually an existing “sport” lifted straight out of the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. The gist is that it’s kind of like capture the flag, except with a ball, and all sorts of traps and hazards to dodge as you try to get that ball back safely to your own base. The original version of the game features 8v8 play, but this has been adapted for the 4v4 play that’s at the heart of Star Wars: Hunters. Two new arenas have also been announced: An Escort map titled The Great Hunt, and a Huttball map titled Dusty Ridge.

Star Wars: Hunters was in soft launch on Android the last time we checked in with it in December, with an iOS soft launch planned for early 2022. It appears that iOS soft launch is imminent, with the Android soft launch expanding to the additional territories of Mexico and Brazil. Full global launch is planned for sometime later this year and in the meantime you can still pre-register on the game’s website to unlock goodies in time for launch.