Solo dev who lost his job is building the bounty hunter game Star Wars 1313 never got to be

Solo developer Ethan McKinnon has unveiled Riftwalker – a sci-fi action RPG about a bounty hunter, inspired by the canceled Star Wars 1313. The game is already available to add to your Steam wishlist and has picked up over 8,000 wishlists in just a little over a month.

As McKinnon shared on social media, development started after he lost his job.

"I'm a solo dev building Riftwalker after losing my job. This journey is my path forward, and I'm grateful for this community."

The canceled Star Wars 1313 was the main motivation – the dark, story-driven sci-fi bounty hunting game the industry never actually got.

Riftwalker is built around a narrative where every contract pulls you deeper into the void. Players track fugitives across seven worlds and gain powers at the cost of their humanity. Combat is skill-based – slide, dodge, parry, and strike with a mix of ranged and melee, plus drones and void abilities.

Customization runs through four core stats – Body, Reflex, Mind, and Soul – backed by a passive skill tree, modular cybernetics, and permanent augmentations that scar your character and chip away at their soul.

The worlds promise dynamic weather, day/night cycles, shifting visibility, and evolving AI behavior. Planets are freely connected, with settlements, strongholds, hidden routes, and old ruins to uncover. The central hub is Vartosa – a bounty network node where you upgrade gear, trade, and take on high-risk contracts.

Core tools include hacking, drones, and a reputation system. Players can disable alarms and turrets, track and capture targets, and shape their story through the jobs they take and the choices they make.

No release date has been announced, and the game is clearly at an early stage. The visual style is fairly generic for now – it's missing something distinctive to call its own.