Star Wars: Hunters, Zynga's free-to-play arena battler set in Lucasfilm's iconic Star Wars universe, has been delayed yet again. Originally scheduled to release this year, the game has now been pushed back to 2024.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter) announcing the delay, the developer stated it is thankful for the "engagement and enthusiasm" players have shown so far in territories where the game has soft launched, and that multiple new features--including ranked mode and updates to core game mechanics--are needed before a full worldwide launch.

"Game delays are frustrating, for both fans and us as developers, but our top priority remains to ensure players have the best experience," Zynga stated. "We continue to strive toward that goal, on Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS devices."

Star Wars: Hunters first debuted during a Nintendo Direct in February 2021, where it was stated the squad-based, PvP-focused title would be releasing later that year. The game did technically release in select regions like the Philippines in 2021, but in 2022 Zynga announced the game's worldwide launch wouldn't be coming until 2023.

Now, Star Wars: Hunters, which is a Nintendo Switch-console exclusive but will also release on mobile devices, is set to release in 2024. Zynga did not give a more specific release window as to when in 2024 the game would arrive.

Zynga's Star Wars title features a large cast of different playable characters spread across three class roles--Tank, Damage, and Support--each with unique abilities, ultimate attacks, and weapons. Those characters range from two Jawas stacked on top of each other to Grozz, a Wookie juggernaut, and Rieve, a lightsaber-wielding Dark Side assassin. Players will select their favorite character and duke it out in 4v4 battles across multiple maps and three game modes, including Huttball, a mode first seen in the Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Star Wars: Hunters has received frequent updates in its soft launch state, with a major update in May bringing the game to Mexican and Brazilian players while additionally reworking the game's existing clamber mechanic. That same update added the ability for player characters to jump, perhaps proving that Zynga wasn't kidding when it stated it is still looking to add core game mechanics ahead of Star Wars: Hunters full launch.

Should Star Wars: Hunters launch in 2024, it won't be the only game set in a galaxy far, far, away to release. Ubisoft's Star Wars: Outlaws is also set to release next year.