For the former CEO of Blizzard, the outlook for the new gaming studio is bleak. The latest game is now being given away for free.
Mike Morhaime was the head of Blizzard. When he left the company a few years ago, he was sorely missed and wanted to establish his own gaming studio: Dreamhaven. So far, four games have been released or they have acted as a publisher, but the ambitious “Wildgate” from Moonshot Games just hasn’t taken off. Just about six months after the release, the game is now even being given away.
Where is the game being given away? Currently, Wildgate is free in the Epic Games Store, instead of the usual around 30 euros. So anyone who wants to try the game should take advantage of this offer before January 8, 2026, to add Wildgate to their collection for free.
No more than 200 players at once – a death sentence?
What kind of game is Wildgate? Wildgate is a wild genre mix, reminiscent of hero shooters like Overwatch and also Hunt: Showdown. You take on the role of a member of a space crew and must gather resources on a procedurally generated map while searching for the “artifact.” The catch: All other teams want it too, and only one team can win. Victory comes when you escape with the artifact or eliminate all enemies.
As a team, you want to proceed tactically. Some gather resources, others might guard the spaceship, or some try to sabotage the enemy ships. The possibilities are diverse.
How is Wildgate doing? Honestly: Pretty bad, and it’s surprising. Because if you look at the game’s ratings on Steam, they are quite positive. 81% recommend the game based on over 4,000 reviews.
But that doesn’t help if no one plays the game anymore. If you look at Steamcharts for the current player numbers, Wildgate is essentially dead. The simultaneous active players on Steam hover between 80 and 200, even though you have to keep in mind that the game is also available on other platforms (like the Epic Games Store). Nevertheless, this is a devastatingly low number, where hardly any matches can take place. The failure of Wildgate has likely also led to layoffs at Dreamhaven.
Many fans had already worried months ago, that Dreamhaven would simply let Wildgate die. Because some have taken the game to heart and feel that it hasn’t received enough attention. Perhaps giving it away on the Epic Games Store is now a last-ditch effort to gain some attention – one can only hope for the game.
