Developer Moonshot Games has announced that it will cease active development of its spaceship shooter Wildgate, approximately one year after its initial launch. The decision comes as the game has struggled to attract and retain a sufficient player base for ongoing development.
In a statement posted on Steam, game director Dustin Browder explained that Wildgate “hasn’t found a large enough audience to sustain ongoing development.” While major updates are ending, the game will not be shut down. Wildgate will continue to receive occasional maintenance, including bug fixes, balance adjustments, and smaller events that repurpose existing content. The game remains available for purchase on Steam, the Epic Games Store, Xbox, and PlayStation, with plans to participate in sales.
The next upcoming patch, scheduled for July, is described as the game's "last big patch for a while." This update aims to enhance the player experience with additional information on game modes, new player-controlled options for custom games, new cosmetic items for the in-game store, and various balance changes and bug fixes.
Impact on Development Studio
The conclusion of Wildgate's development cycle raises questions about the future of Moonshot Games. A small core team will maintain the game servers, but community management and player support will be reduced. The Wildgate Discord server will be handed over to community members.
Despite these changes, a spokesperson for Moonshot Games confirmed that no layoffs are planned. Instead, members of the Wildgate team are transitioning to new, unannounced projects. "All of us at Moonshot put a lot of love into Wildgate as well as the community that has formed around it," the spokesperson stated. "The core Wildgate team will continue to spend some time reviewing issues and supporting the game long-term."
Wildgate's trajectory reflects the challenges faced by many multiplayer shooters in a crowded market. While the game showed early creative promise, its execution sometimes fell short. A previous review noted that while Wildgate could create compelling player-driven narratives, it also suffered from lengthy, directionless matches, particularly when player coordination was lacking. Despite a "mostly positive" user rating on Steam, player numbers declined significantly after launch, and subsequent efforts like new PvE modes and a free trial did not reverse the trend.