Now everyone’s playing the game, you might be wondering if Star Wars: Hunters is canon or not.
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Well, you’re in the right place, as we’ve asked the developers to explain just that and detail its setting and place in the Star Wars canon timeline.
Those wonky sets in the arena and the characters you play as all have a story to tell, but is it all officially part of the series which George Lucas envisioned all those years ago?
Read on to find out if Star Wars: Hunters is canon or not, where it places in the overall timeline of the galaxy and what the developers told us about its setting and characters in an exclusive interview.
Is Star Wars: Hunters canon?
Star Wars: Hunters. Zynga
Yes, Star Wars: Hunters is canon to the overall Star Wars universe!
The main arena of the game exists on an Outer Rim planet and the action is beamed over the HoloNet like a TV show to entertainment fans around the galaxy. Turns out what the people want in this universe is deathmatches, who knew?
The whole operation is run by one of the Hutts (not that one). Each battle arena is an elaborate set that has been put together to look like famous things from Star Wars, such as the Death Star and the Battle of Endor.
It’s all fake, though, and the biggest Star Wars fans will notice the purposefully unconvincing nature of the arenas.
Inspiration for the whole thing was taken from pro wrestling, with the development team explaining that the characters – all larger-than-life archetypal heroes and villains when the cameras are rolling – are normal citizens of the galaxy the rest of the time.
Rieve, for example, plays the role of a Sith when they’re in the arena, but in reality, she’s a young Force-sensitive person just trying to find her way in the galaxy.
As for when the game is set in the Star Wars films timeline? Between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens – after the fall of the Galactic Empire.
What have the developers said about the Star Wars canon?
Star Wars: Hunters. Zynga
In an exclusive interview with the Star Wars: Hunters developers at an official preview event for the game, we here at RadioTimes.com asked them about the game’s ties to Star Wars canon.
Here’s what the developers had to say.
Rich Kemp, senior art director, told us at the preview event that: "Having a game that exists in canon in the universe is a massive privilege. We just want to keep expanding the universe of Star Wars as best we can, introducing new exciting characters.
"And if they make their way into [TV] shows or if they make their way into books, comics, that's awesome. It just makes our characters feel all the more alive. And yeah, we already think of them as alive. So hopefully other people will too."
He added, "There's already a Rieve short novel out there, about Rieve and how she came to take part in the arena."
Imara Vex, too, has appeared in the official Star Wars comics, and even fought legendary big bad Darth Vader.
Dominic Estephane, Star Wars: Hunters art director, added that: "Star Wars is like a big toy box. And we got to leave our own toys in there for someone else to play with. So hopefully we get to see what happens with that. That'd be really awesome."
Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.
