Dawngate
A MOBA with two lanes and four roles, shut down in beta.
Dawngate was a team-based multiplayer online battle arena game for Windows, created by Waystone Games and released by Electronic Arts. It was designed as a free-to-play title, with micro-transactions as a likely revenue model. Early details about the game started appearing online in April 2013. A testing phase began on May 24, 2013, followed by a community beta on April 9, 2014, and an open beta on May 20, 2014. On November 4, 2014, development was stopped because the beta did not meet expectations, and the game was fully shut down 94 days later. In 2015, EA registered Dawngate as a trademark. In June 2020, a fan development team contacted EA to try to buy the rights for a fan remake. They launched a Kickstarter to raise part of the needed funds. Although they successfully raised the money, the project was abandoned when the cost to acquire the intellectual property turned out to be too high.
In gameplay, five players, called shapers, work together to complete objectives and destroy the enemy nexus to win. Shapers can be customized with spells and items, and they can place wards to reveal areas of the map. AI-controlled minions spawn at the home base and march down lanes toward the enemy base; more powerful striders can also appear. The map has two lanes, each guarded by two bindings per side, with lines showing the status of these bindings. Around the lanes is the jungle, a neutral area with passive creatures that can be killed for vim, and it also serves as a route for ambushes. Four Spirit Wells in the jungle passively gather vim for each team, and at the center is the Parasite, a powerful creature not meant to be fought alone.
At the start, players choose roles—Gladiator, Tactician, Hunter, or Predator—which are not tied to a specific shaper but offer role-specific benefits. Gladiators focus on killing lane minions, Tacticians on harassing enemy shapers, Hunters on jungle creatures, and Predators on killing enemy shapers. Players also select a loadout for passive bonuses.
- Beta period
- May 24, 2013 (testing); April 9, 2014 (community beta); May 20, 2014 (open beta)
- Shutdown announced
- November 4, 2014
Lore & Background
Dawngate was a team-oriented game where five players, called shapers, worked together to destroy the enemy nexus. Shapers could be modified by spells and items, and could place wards for vision. AI-controlled minions assisted shapers, spawning at the home location and marching down lanes; more powerful striders could also spawn. The map contained two lanes, each controlled by two bindings per side, with lines indicating binding status. Surrounding the lanes was a jungle with passive creatures that could be killed for vim, four Spirit Wells that passively gathered vim for each team, and a powerful creature called the Parasite in the center.
Reader's Guide
Dawngate's significance lies in its brief but notable attempt to innovate within the MOBA genre, particularly through its role system. Players chose from four roles—Gladiator, Tactician, Hunter, and Predator—each with specific focuses: killing lane minions, harassing enemy shapers, killing jungle creatures, or killing enemy shapers. Roles were not tied to shaper choice, though some shapers had advantages in certain areas, and role choice provided role-specific benefits. Players also selected loadouts granting additional passive bonuses. The game's development was cut short when Electronic Arts announced on November 4, 2014, that the beta was not shaping up as hoped, leading to a full shutdown within 90 days. In 2015, Dawngate became a registered trademark of EA. A fan development team reached out to EA in June 2020 to acquire the rights for a fan remake, launching a Kickstarter that successfully raised funds, but the project was abandoned when the cost to acquire the IP was deemed prohibitively high. Dawngate's legacy includes its role system and the dedicated fan effort to revive it.
Did You Know?
- Dawngate was developed by Waystone Games and published by Electronic Arts.
- The game featured two lanes instead of the three common in many MOBAs.
- A fan remake project raised funds via Kickstarter in 2020 but was abandoned due to high IP acquisition costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dawngate?
Dawngate is a free-to-play MOBA for Windows built around two lanes and four player roles. It was developed by Waystone Games, published by Electronic Arts, and never made it past beta before being cancelled.
What roles and lanes does Dawngate use?
The game divided its battlefield into two lanes and assigned each hero one of four distinct roles, shaping how teams composed and pushed objectives. This two-lane structure set it apart from the three-lane format common in other MOBAs.
When did Dawngate shut down?
EA announced the end of development on November 4, 2014, citing that the open beta had not met internal benchmarks. The remaining infrastructure was taken offline 94 days after that announcement.
Why was Dawngate cancelled?
After the open beta launched on May 20, 2014, player engagement and performance fell short of what EA needed to justify ongoing spending. The studio stopped work in November 2014 and wound the project down completely by early 2015.
Who made Dawngate and what happened to the IP afterward?
Waystone Games handled day-to-day development while Electronic Arts acted as the publisher. Even after the servers went dark, EA registered the Dawngate name as a trademark in 2015, keeping the IP on its books.
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