The first game by ex-developers from Blizzard is almost finished. A multiplayer game that many apparently find reminiscent of WildStar …
In recent years, a lot has changed at Blizzard. Leading developers left, and some of them started their own studios – like Mike Morhaime. Little had been heard from his “Dreamhaven” for a long time, aside from the news that he had brought together some big names in his new enterprise.
Now Dreamhaven announces its first major game: Wildgate. And the first trailer suggests that a really strong multiplayer game is on the way.
What is Wildgate? It’s not so easy to explain, as Wildgate combines several genres at once. The core idea is that 20 players team up in small groups of 4 and each land on a newly generated space map with a spaceship. There are small comets, wrecks of stranded ships, a rare artifact – and of course the other teams.
At the start of a match, the team tries to secure resources. These can be weapons and upgrades for their own spaceship or personal armament, but also basic materials like fuel to activate the spaceship’s booster or ice blocks to cool the reactor in case of overheating.
However, while players leave the spaceship, one must always weigh their options: Should all crew members go out and loot to gather as much equipment as possible? Or should one or two comrades stay behind so that their own ship is not defenseless if enemy teams appear?
Since each crew member can only carry one large upgrade at a time, this is an important decision.
The interesting part is that one can seamlessly switch between “spaceship vs. spaceship” combat and “character vs. character” combat. While one player might operate the spaceship’s weapons and shoot at enemies, another player can board the enemy ship and directly engage its crew.
What is the objective of the game? Basically, there are two different objectives that each lead to victory. The basic principle is reminiscent of Hunt: Showdown. An artifact is hidden somewhere on the map. The primary goal is to find this artifact and then escape with the artifact and their own spaceship through the “Wildgate” – which is essentially the exit of the map. Spoiler: The other teams will not want to allow that.
The second way to win is to eliminate all other teams. You are considered eliminated as soon as your spaceship is destroyed. Therefore, one or two sabotage acts can be quite worthwhile. You can board enemy ships and sabotage the opponents’ weapons or blow up their reactor core.
Our colleagues at GameStar have already had a closer look at Wildgate.
When does Wildgate come out? There is no official release date for Wildgate yet, but it has been stated that the game will be available in 2025 on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. If you can’t wait until then, you can also sign up for the preview playtest taking place from April 10 to 14. Registration is available on the official Wildgate website.
“I feel reminded of WildStar”
This is how the community reacts: Looking at the comments under the trailer on YouTube, it is clear that many feel reminded of WildStar by the style – this is likely due especially to the graphics and humor. The actual gameplay has little in common with the MMORPG. Nevertheless, these parallels and nostalgic memories could help give Wildgate a small boost. Because in the comments on YouTube, it says:
- “This gives me such strange Wildstar vibes. God, I miss that game.” – Kranitoko
- “I saw the title and thought: WILDSTAR is back, baby! Oh, wait … damn. But it still looks good.” – XiLock_Alotx
- “This looks like a space variant of Sea of Thieves and looks so fun. I will definitely take a closer look at this in the future.” – Leopez02
Several new game studios have emerged from Blizzard, and Dreamhaven by Mike Morhaime seems to be the first to have something to show, and the first impression seems to be outstanding. They have dared to mix up a wild array of features – if it pays off and plays as well as the trailer and initial playtests suggest, Wildgate could be a real multiplayer hit.
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