When a live-service game is discontinued by its publisher, the common assumption is that the game failed to perform, typically financially, leading to its demise. However, despite the impending October shutdown of Zynga`s Star Wars Hunters, a multiplayer shooter set in the iconic universe, CEO Frank Gibeau maintains that the game was “no failure” at all, even with lower-than-anticipated engagement.
In an interview with The Game Business, Gibeau stated that the Zynga team successfully built a “great tech base” and a “fun game” with Hunters. Nevertheless, the game ultimately did not emerge as a “viable business.” Gibeau specifically cited a lack of “organic installs from the license” as a significant factor contributing to its discontinuation.
Gibeau further explained the challenges, noting, “We had some issues with how we could explore the intellectual property—could you play Darth Vader or could you not? That sort of thing.” He added that despite these hurdles, they developed a cross-platform game for Nintendo Switch and mobile that “ran perfectly” and was “fun.” Yet, it “didn’t engage over the long term,” proving not to be a “viable business.”
According to Gibeau, ending Hunters provides Zynga with another “shot on goal” for a new project, now armed with valuable knowledge and an established technical foundation. “The action shooter category on mobile is very large and growing, and we’d like to be there,” Gibeau remarked. He confirmed that Zynga now possesses an Unreal Engine tech base, alongside experienced engineering, development, and design leads. This experience allows them to “tak[e] the learnings from Star Wars Hunters and appl[y] it to another shot on goal with another intellectual property.”
Star Wars Hunters was first announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation in February 2021. It officially launched in June 2024, only for Zynga to announce its cessation of operations on October 1, 2025. A final update was pushed to users on April 15. A planned PC port of the game was also canceled.
Currently, Star Wars Hunters remains available for play on mobile devices and Nintendo Switch.