Steel Hunters Shutting Down in October After Just Three Months in Early Access

Steel Hunters (Image Credit: Wargaming)

Steel Hunters, the futuristic mech shooter from World of Tanks developer Wargaming, is shutting down in October—only three months after it entered early access.

The free-to-play live-service game launched with some promise but quickly ran into trouble. Despite being backed by a big name in online warfare, Steel Hunters never quite found its audience. It peaked at just 4,479 concurrent players, according to SteamDB, which is a tough number for any live-service title trying to survive in today’s crowded market.

In a message posted on Steam, the devs broke the news: “We’ve made the decision to sunset Steel Hunters. You’ve given us so much passion and support, but unfortunately, continuing development is not sustainable.”

The game’s servers will remain online until around October 8. To make that goodbye a little sweeter, Wargaming is unlocking every playable Hunter—even ones that were never officially released. Custom game support is also coming to give fans more ways to play during the game's final days.

There’s even a farewell tournament in the works, though details on that are still under wraps.

Part of the game’s downfall may come down to competition. Mecha BREAK, a rival mech shooter from Chinese studio Amazing Seasun Games, pulled in over 300,000 concurrent players during its demo in February and continues to perform strong with over 132,000 peak players after full release. Those numbers are tough to compete with, especially when players only have so much time and attention to give.

The shutdown of Steel Hunters also highlights a bigger issue facing the industry right now. Live-service games are everywhere—and only a few truly thrive. Even major publishers are feeling the pressure. In just the past few months, we've seen titles like MultiVersus, Concord, Dauntless, XDefiant, and Resident Evil Re:Verse either shut down or fade away.

Sony, too, is reportedly pulling the plug on two unannounced online projects. While the company is still moving forward with live-service titles like Marathon and Fairgames, the rocky reception of Concord seems to have pushed them toward a more cautious approach.

So while Steel Hunters didn’t manage to leave a lasting mark, its short-lived run is yet another reminder of the high risks — and even higher expectations — attached to live-service gaming in today’s market.