In a surprising move, Wargaming—best known for the blockbuster World of Tanks—has announced the imminent shutdown of its experimental battle royale spinoff, Steel Hunters, a mere three months after its Steam debut. The free-to-play vehicular combat game, which pitched players in customizable tanks across shrinking battle zones, will sunset on August 1, 2025, leaving fans questioning the studio’s foray into the genre.
Launched in May 2025 as a standalone Steam title, Steel Hunters aimed to blend Wargaming’s signature tank warfare with fast-paced, last-team-standing mechanics. Despite polished visuals and a novel concept, the game struggled to retain players amid fierce competition from established titles like War Thunder and Apex Legends. Internal data hinted at turbulence: Steel Hunters peaked at just 1,200 concurrent players shortly after launch before plummeting to fewer than 50 daily active users by July.
Wargaming cited "unsustainable player engagement" in a terse statement, adding that resources would be reallocated to "core projects," likely referring to World of Tanks updates and its console/mobile variants. The studio offered no refunds but confirmed all in-game purchases would be disabled immediately.
🔍 Player Metrics Tell the Story:
For context, the game’s rapid decline is starkly visible in its SteamDB charts, which track player counts and engagement. Meanwhile, its Steam Store page—still live but now flagged with an "end of service" warning—shows "Mixed" recent reviews, with critics citing repetitive gameplay and sparse content updates.
Community reaction has been a mix of disappointment and frustration. Reddit threads and Steam forums erupted with complaints about abandoned potential. "They hyped this as World of Tanks meets PUBG, but it felt like a barebones beta," wrote user TankCommander77. Others criticized Wargaming’s marketing, noting minimal influencer outreach and no console port despite initial promises.
The shutdown raises questions about Wargaming’s strategy. After closing its Moscow office in 2022 amid geopolitical pressures, the studio pivoted to niche experiments like Steel Hunters. Yet its abrupt collapse suggests the company may struggle to expand beyond its flagship franchise.
Steel Hunters servers will go offline August 1. No successor projects have been announced.
Key Details:
- Shutdown Date: August 1, 2025
- Peak Players: ~1,200 (SteamDB, May 2025)
- Current Player Count: <50 (as of July 9, 2025)
- Status: All purchases disabled; no refunds planned.
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