In Steam, former WoW developers wanted to score with their own mini-MMO. But instead of a big release party, it ended in a crash landing. Now, the rapid end of the project is following, along with refunds for the fans.
Which game is it about? The ex-game designer of World of Warcraft, Chris Kaleiki, and his team Notorious Studios, which includes 7 other WoW veterans, wanted to implement their very own vision of a game.
The origin of the developers is clearly visible in their title Eldegarde. The game visually resembles WoW, even though the title leans toward New World. The developers wanted to create a mix of extraction game and mini-MMO, oriented towards the success of ARC Raiders.
As in an MMO, you can choose a class, loot, level up, and fight against mobs, but also against real players. After the round, the loot can be exchanged for cash, which can then be invested in your own equipment like elixirs.
Here you can see a trailer for Eldegarde:
Crash Landing and End
How did the release go? The mini-MMO left early access on Steam after about a year on January 21, 2026. However, the release of the title attracted only a few interested players. Even at the official release, the MMO had fewer players than during early access and reached only about 1,100 players according to SteamDB.
At the same time, the rating on Steam is not great either. About 67% of around 4,600 reviews have given a positive impression of the game, which is why the title stands at “Mixed” on Steam.
After the release, the low player numbers dropped even further. On the week of March 3, 2026, only 350 players played at peak times, according to SteamDB. Too few, as it turns out now.
What did the developers announce? The poor player numbers led the developers to take their game offline. In an update post on Steam, they announced that their title will no longer be available for purchase and that the servers will go offline on March 31, 2026.
They clearly state that too few players have purchased the title to make further development financially viable.
In a further post on Steam, the developers also explain that players who have supported the title for a longer time can receive a refund on Steam if they indicate in their request that the title is going offline. They have arranged this procedure with Steam.
Is this the end for Eldegarde? No, because although according to the developers’ statement, a large part of the developers are no longer on the team, a small group is supposed to make the title playable offline or develop a client-server that allows fans to continue playing Eldegarde without costs for the developers.
Whether this will actually work and be feasible remains completely open. The developers clarify that this will be voluntary and thus likely in the free time of the devs, and it is also a big task. Whether this undertaking can be carried out as a hobby project is unclear.
The developers of Eldegarde still believe in their game, even though they couldn’t convince enough players. With Eldegarde, the first MMO of 2026 is likely dying. Positive news, on the other hand, should come from another MMO: New MMORPG on Steam is being developed by 100 people, and is expected to be playable in 2026
