Phrasemaker

Moonshot Games’ upcoming FPS is all about spaceship combat, crew-based chaos, and stealing the most valuable artifact in the universe.

What Even Is Wildgate?

Imagine if Sea of Thieves and Apex Legends had a baby, and that baby was launched into deep space with a heist mission. That’s Wildgate, the upcoming first-person shooter from Moonshot Games, a studio under Dreamhaven (aka the game industry’s “we used to work at Blizzard” collective). Set to drop in 2025, Wildgate throws players into a chaotic mix of spaceship combat, FPS firefights, and high-stakes artifact hunting.

The game’s official Steam page describes it as “a PvP multiplayer shooter that blends tactical ship-to-ship combat with fast-paced first-person action.” Translation: You and your crew fight, loot, upgrade your ship, and—if you play your cards right—escape with the ultimate prize: the Artifact.

Who’s Making This Game?

Moonshot Games, based in Irvine, California, is one of the two studios under Dreamhaven’s publishing umbrella (the other being Secret Door). Dreamhaven itself is loaded with former Blizzard and Riot developers, meaning Wildgate is coming from folks who have worked on Overwatch, Starcraft, and World of Warcraft. That’s a solid pedigree—but will it be enough to carve out space in the hyper-competitive FPS market?

Wildgate’s Big Reveal

On March 25, 2025, Wildgate officially entered the public eye with a flashy reveal trailer. Think vibrant outer-space dogfights, gunfights inside derelict space stations, and lots of zero-gravity chaos. Moonshot also dropped an extended gameplay breakdown, giving us a deeper look at how Wildgate actually plays—and it’s looking pretty wild (sorry).

How Wildgate Actually Works

At its core, Wildgate is a high-stakes treasure hunt. Your crew’s goal? Snatch the Artifact and get out alive. There are three main ways to win: outsmart, outrun, or outgun your opponents. If you can’t find the Artifact first, you can always steal it from a rival crew—or wipe out the competition entirely and claim victory by being the last team standing.

Players start with a basic spaceship, but as the match progresses, they can mine asteroids, loot wreckage, and raid enemies for ship upgrades. Shields? Cannons? Faster engines? It’s all on the table. Meanwhile, FPS combat plays out inside ships and space stations, with an upgrade system that feels a lot like Apex Legends—attachments, scopes, stabilizers, the works.

Ships, Space Hazards, and Absolute Chaos

Every match takes place in the Typhon Reach, a massive, danger-filled sci-fi sandbox where teams have to deal with more than just enemy players. Cosmic storms, space mines, and something called “Reach Leeches” (which sounds terrifying) are just a few of the environmental threats waiting to ruin your run.

Ship-wise, players can choose between different models, including:

• The Bastion – A tanky, heavily armored bruiser that’s easy to spot but hard to take down.
• The Hunter – A sleek, speedy ship that’s harder to hit but has weaker shields.

Does Wildgate Have Esports Potential?

The FPS genre is one of the hardest to break into—especially in esports. VALORANT, Counter-Strike, and Call of Duty dominate the competitive scene, and history hasn’t been kind to new contenders (RIP Concord). Even high-profile projects struggle: Shroud’s Spectre Divide flopped last year despite massive hype.

That said, Wildgate has something unique: its crew-based gameplay. The “Sea of Thieves in space” comparison isn’t just hype—it’s what sets the game apart. YouTube comments are already buzzing with excitement, and the reveal trailer’s engagement is strong (1,000 likes to 100 dislikes as of March 25, 2025). If Wildgate can hold onto that momentum, it just might find a niche in the industry.

How to Play Wildgate Early

Wildgate doesn’t have a final release date yet, but it’s slated for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2025.

Want to try it out early? Moonshot Games is running a playtest on April 10, 2025. Signing up doesn’t guarantee a spot, but you can throw your name in the ring on the official website.

Follow Wildgate’s development on X (@playwildgate) or check out the latest updates at playwildgate.com. Will it be the next big thing in FPS gaming? We’ll find out soon enough.