Wildgate puts players in the shoes of Prospectors that have to team up in small crews and head out into an unpredictable and hostile region of space. The main goal for players is to get their hands on a relic known only as the Artifact. Along the way, players will also have to scavenge through wreckages and get their hands on long-forgotten loot. In order to win, a crew will have to get their hands on as much loot as possible, along with the Artifact, and then successfully reach an exit point.

Studio head Jason Chayes describes Wildgate as a title designed for players that want to take on a daring space adventure with their own crew. With the multiplayer focus, the studio wants to allow players to create their own narratives through interactions with each other on these adventures.

“Wildgate was designed for anyone that’s ever wanted to go on a daring space adventure alongside a fearless crew,” said Chayes in a statement on the press release. “Players are invited to work together and confront evolving cosmic threats – whether they’re mysterious hazards of the Reach – or presented by rival Prospectors. We’re counting on you to bring your best-laid plans… and hey, even if they don’t pan out for the win, we’ve found that some of our favourite experiences are the ones we least expect.”

In another statement, Dreamhaven CEO Mike Morhaime also spoke about how the title will reward players that make proper use of tactics and co-operate in accomplish their goals. Morhaime also spoke about various gameplay elements, and how they will tie in together for emergent storytelling.

“Wildgate rewards cooperation and tactical mastery in a way that realizes Dreamhaven’s goal to bring players together and help them create lasting memories,” said Morhaime. “Since every match of Wildgate plays differently, there’s tons for you and your friends to discover as you explore the Typhon Reach. Ship-vs-ship combat brings an element of chaos that makes for an especially fun time, and we’re looking forward to players experiencing it for themselves during the playtest.”

One of the key gameplay features in Wildgate will be its spaceship battles. Players will get to make use of advanced tactics depending on the loadout of their spaceships, and can even sneak on to enemy ships and sabotage them from within. With the freedom players will have in how they use their spaceships, players can choose to either sneak off to an exit point with the Artifact, or just decide to wipe out every other crew in the match.

Wildgate is being developed for PC (via Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release later this year. The game will be getting a community preview playtest between April 10 and April 14, and players can sign up for it on the official website.

Blizzard Entertainment co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime has set up a new game company called Dreamhaven, and as the company’s announcement post puts it, “a host” of industry veterans have come along with him for the journey- many of whom are also fellow Blizzard alumni.

“I’m excited to team up with such talented people who care deeply about games and their communities,” Morhaime says. “I’ve always believed in the power of games to bring people together regardless of backgrounds or boundaries. With Dreamhaven, we look forward to creating and sharing new experiences with players everywhere.”

The company, which will be developing and publishing its own original games, is starting out the gate with two internal studios. The first is Moonshot Games, led jointly by Jason Chayes (who has previously worked at Walt Disney’s games division, been a Senior Director at EA, and was an Executive Producer at Blizzard, where he led the Hearthstone team); Dustin Browder (a twenty-five-year industry vet who’s worked in creative lead positions on games and IP such as StarCraft 2, Heroes of the Storm, Command and Conquer, and The Lord of the Rings); and Ben Thompson (who was creative director on Hearthstone and has always worked on the World of Warcraft card game, Dungeons and Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering). The studio boasts other “seasoned developers who’ve collectively worked on some of gaming’s most popular franchises.”

“Dreamhaven has assembled some amazing people, folks who truly share our values, and we’re really excited to begin this next adventure together,” says Chayes. “Though it’s very early days, when we think about Moonshot, we imagine a studio that celebrates curiosity and courage. We aspire to be bold in our approach, and we think the best way to do that is to create a culture centered around trust. That’s at the heart of how we’d like to work together and also how we’d like to connect with players once we’re a bit further down the road.”

The second of Dreamhaven’s two internal studios is Secret Door, led by Chris Sigaty (Executive Producer on Hearthstone, StarCraft 2, and Heroes of the Storm, and Lead Producer on Warcraft 3); Alan Dabiri (who’s worked on Warcraft 3, StarCraft 2, and Heroes of the Storm); and Eric Dodds (game director of Hearthstone, having also worked on World of Warcraft and StarCraft). The team at Secret Door also consists of “highly talented developers with extensive industry experience” who are “beginning to explore new game experiences together.”

“The amount of game development and publishing experience at Dreamhaven combined with  the camaraderie between our studios is already providing an unparalleled environment for creative collaboration,” says Sigaty. “At Secret Door, we are passionate about bringing players together in positive ways while building a sustainable home for creators. Dreamhaven is providing everything we need to head into uncharted territory. We cannot wait for others to join us on our journey!”

It’s early days for Dreamhaven and its two studios still, so it’s going to be a while yet before we get to see what their first projects will be. But given the talent at the company, it’s hard not to be excited about their potential. 

Moonshot Games is an indie games studio led by: Michel Bastien, who was a producer on Halo 2 and 3, Damián Isla, who led Halo’s AI design and Rob Stokes, who was a design lead on Halo 3 and a designer and writer on Halo 2. The team have now announced their first game; a 2D side-scrolling shooter called ‘Fallen Frontier’. A very small Q&A was published on the Moonshot Games site stating that they are aiming to have the game released within the first half of 2012 and that they are hoping to release it on Steam, XBLA and PSN, though the title is currently without a publisher. See the announcement video above for a brief idea of the story and some early gameplay footage.

Thanks to Gamesradar for the info.