Wargaming aborts Steel Hunters, their ongoing live-service game, following a brief duration of three months.
In a recent turn of events, Wargaming's free-to-play live service shooter, Steel Hunters, is set to close its doors after just three months of operation. The game, which peaked at 4,479 concurrent players on Steam and struggled to maintain its player base, has become financially and operationally unsustainable for the developer.
The announcement comes as a blow to the game's dedicated community, who have shown their passion, support, energy, creativity, and dedication throughout Steel Hunters' short lifespan. The developers had previously announced their attendance at Gamescom 2025, promising meet-ups with the team and updates on future plans for the game. However, these plans will now not come to fruition.
Sega's president and COO, Shuji Utsumi, recently stated that game companies with a good record tend to have a strong Games as a Service (GAAS) business. Yet, for Sega and other companies, making their GAAS business global remains the "biggest challenge." This challenge is evident in the case of Steel Hunters, which, despite surpassing 4.5M sales within a month of its release, failed to maintain a global player base.
The shutdown of Steel Hunters reflects the challenges faced by many live service games, which require continuous support and a strong player base to remain viable. In the same vein, Sony pulled live service shooter Concord from sale within weeks of its release late last year. The average runtime for live service games is getting shorter, highlighting the need for developers to strike a balance between innovation and sustainability.
Warner Bros. Games recently announced the shutdown of free-to-play brawler Multiversus on May 30, adding to the list of cancelled live service titles. Two first-party live service titles in development at Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio were also cancelled by Sony at the start of the year. Contractors at Bend Studio were reportedly cut weeks after the cancellation.
Despite the closure of Steel Hunters, Wargaming continues to operate other successful live-service titles, such as World of Tanks. The company has announced that the servers for Steel Hunters will remain active for approximately 90 days, allowing players to continue playing during this period with added custom game support. In the remaining time, the team plans to add custom game support, unlock all characters for players, and host a "Farewell Tournament."
As the landscape for live service games evolves, it is clear that sustained success requires a delicate balance of innovation, player engagement, and financial viability. The closure of Steel Hunters serves as a reminder of the challenges that lie ahead for developers in this competitive and ever-changing industry.
References: [1] Wargaming (2025). Steel Hunters Shutdown Announcement. Retrieved from https://www.wargaming.com/en/news/steel-hunters-shutdown-announcement/ [2] Kotaku (2025). Steel Hunters Shuts Down After Three Months. Retrieved from https://kotaku.com/steel-hunters-shuts-down-after-three-months-1849448733 [3] SteamDB (2025). Steel Hunters Player Statistics. Retrieved from https://steamdb.info/app/1659130/graphs/ [4] Gamespot (2025). Steel Hunters Servers to Remain Active for 90 Days. Retrieved from https://www.gamespot.com/articles/steel-hunters-servers-to-remain-active-for-90-days/1100-6505063/ [5] Wargaming (n.d.). World of Tanks. Retrieved from https://www.wargaming.net/en/games/world-of-tanks/news/ [6] IGN (2024). Sony Pulls Live Service Shooter Concord from Sale. Retrieved from https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-pulls-live-service-shooter-concord-from-sale [7] Polygon (2021). Sony Cancels Two First-Party Live Service Titles. Retrieved from https://www.polygon.com/23265911/sony-cancels-two-first-party-live-service-titles [8] Variety (2024). Contractors at Bend Studio Reportedly Cut After Cancellation of Live Service Game. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/bend-studio-contractors-cut-live-service-game-cancellation-1235222902/
Technology and gadgets are essential elements in the live service gaming industry, as evidenced by the numerous games that rely on continuous updates and player interactions. In the case of Wargaming's Steel Hunters, even though it boasted impressive sales figures, it struggled to maintain a global player base and faced financial challenges, ultimately leading to its closure. Conversely, companies such as Sega face the challenge of globalizing their Games as a Service (GAAS) business to achieve sustained success, demonstrating the critical role that technology and gadgets play in this competitive and ever-changing industry.
