WIBO February Newsletter 2026

Welcome to February’s Newsletter!

We’ve got some exciting new updates to share with you this month!

As a reminder, we are still very early in development, and everything shown is currently a work in progress. All features, designs, and visuals are subject to change as we continue refining and building the foundation of Wildborne.

We truly appreciate your patience, support, and enthusiasm as we grow this project from the ground up. Now, let’s dive in!

Co Owner / Lead Developer-

Hi everyone! February was mostly about getting things set up for a closed alpha test, and getting the steam page for the game published. I'd like to share some information about how our first closed alpha test went.

Closed Alpha Test

We had about 36 individual players join our game server over the course of a few days with no issues, which is a great sign. The map server didn't crash once, and at one point, we had about 10 players on the map at once. This closed alpha build will continue to be developed and tested for bugs. Our current plan is to routinely test as we develop, to avoid any headaches in the future. We'll give some more information about an open alpha test too as we go forward!

The closed alpha test wasn't without issues, though. There were many bugs and issues that were found, and some game-breaking issues. Crashing wasn't really reported. Performance varied depending on the PC playing it, and we'll continue working on making the game more performant. Some players got single-digit FPS when around multiple players, and some said the game ran like butter. It'll be important to keep testing performance as we develop.

Social Features

While working on the alpha test I've also been working on more of the back-end social features. I have a fully functioning mail system. We can send mail to either a specific player, or to all players at once to announce events. Sending mail between players isn't available yet, but private DMs will be a thing. I've also been working on a friends system, and clans. Friends can be added via in-game, or through your Steam friends list. Clans will also have a search feature for them with tags so you can find the right clan to join.

Steam post image

Controller Support

I've also been working on some very rudimentary controller support. Right now you can move the character around, jump and change speeds. But you can't navigate menus just yet, and I'm trying to think of the best way to handle menu navigation with a controller. Either through d-pad navigation, or a destiny-style cursor (though I know this design decision is controversial), I'd appreciate any opinions on this.

Pickups, Items & Tutorial Island

This is a more recent thing I've been working on and should be in the next closed alpha test. I've been working on items that can be picked up, and the back-end for player inventories. We have plans for items to have value to them, shop NPCs you can buy/sell items with, trading with other players and more.

I'm also working on a tutorial island map that will act as a placeholder until one of our map makers can personalize it. This island will help you get acquainted with the mechanics of the game, controlling your character, NPCs to talk to, and a few small quests to complete.

Navigation AI

Since Wildborne will have quests and some maps can be quite large, I've been working on a navigation helper AI that will pathfind its way to a desired destination. Right now these are just a flock of butterflies that you have to follow. But we have plans to let you customize the look of your navigation helper. With different particle effects, glow colors, etc. The navigation AI will also tie into the game's World Map where you can place custom markers for locations.

Thank you all for supporting us and staying updated! I look forward to showing even more progress in March's newsletter.

Art Director -

Hello! I've been managing to get some more work in finally for WBO!

The website is mostly there now, just need final assets and test for importing into the site. I'm incredibly excited to have this finally shared soon, as multiple months of work have gone into making this as best as possible for everyone :D With that being all said and done, I'm starting to think about my next WBO related project. I don't want to give away too much yet but here's an NPC related to the project! We've been debating whether to name her Wynter or Iris, some community input on her name would be great! I'm looking forward to working more on my next focus! I'm in early stages but I already can't wait to share

Developer-

This month, I've wrapped up our wide logo for the game, featuring the full game title alongside our simplified mascot. I also completed our secondary round logo, which is currently in the revision phase and should be finalized soon!

In addition to that, I have been working on a more detailed draft of our owl mascot (name still pending). There will likely be plenty of refinements and revisions as development continues.

Vvtch has been hard at work bringing new life to our Darkwoods map!

Please meet Thicket, our upcoming NPC, along with his current concept designs! These are early looks at his development, and while we’re excited to share them, please keep in mind that revisions may still apply as we continue refining his character and visual direction.

We can’t wait to show you how Thicket fits into his map and the lore surrounding it!

We’d like to give a huge thank you to Taiga from our socials team for creating Wildborne’s brand-new Roadmap template!

Their hard work has helped us take another step forward in organizing and presenting our development plans in a clear and structured way.

The community can expect to see the completed roadmap very soon as we continue to uphold our promise of transparency and open communication throughout Wildborne’s development. We’re excited to share what’s ahead with all of you and we truly appreciate your continued support!

Developer-

Zio has been hard at work chopping away at new 3D modeling assets for our Mother Tree map, and she’s coming along beautifully!

If you look closely, you’ll notice the Amethyst nestled within her root system… a small but very intentional detail.

We can’t wait to give you all a deeper peek into the lore behind her, and the rest of the world of Wildborne. There’s so much story woven into these environments, and we’re excited to start revealing more as development continues.

Co Owner / Project Manager-

We want to take a moment to once again extend our deepest gratitude to this incredible community and our dedicated staff team. The continued encouragement, patience, and belief in what we’re building truly fuels us every single day.

There are so many individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes, developers, designers, artists, moderators, testers, and supporters, and every single role carries equal importance. Whether someone is building core systems, designing environments, refining models, organizing documents, moderating chats, or testing features, each contribution is a foundational piece of Wildborne. We are not just building a game, we are building a world, and a community to thrive within it.

We genuinely feel blessed to have such a passionate, talented, and supportive team standing beside us as we move forward!

Feralbound Online Supporter Compensation-

We are actively rolling out compensation for those who supported Feralbound Online. If you were a supporter and have not yet reached out, please do not hesitate to send me a direct message so we can make sure you’re added to the list. We want to ensure everyone who stood by that project is properly acknowledged.

Our Feralbound supporters will receive access to all Alpha test builds up until we enter Beta. Once we transition into Beta, we hope you’ll continue supporting our project and team as we move into that next exciting phase. Every bit of support at that time directly contributes to paying our team for further development, tools, assets, overall growth, and of course the time and dedication put into this project!

Alpha Testing Milestone-

As of this month, we successfully completed our first round of Alpha testing and stress testing with these supporters. This was a major milestone for us. Early testing allows us to identify performance concerns, foundational bugs, and overall system stability, and we are incredibly grateful to those who participated and provided feedback.

Being able to reach this stage, especially while still early in development, is something we are extremely proud of.

Ownership Changes-

With every uphill climb, there are sometimes difficult decisions that come with it. Over the past several months, we have been working behind the scenes to find a feasible solution regarding an ownership matter within the project. After a great deal of discussion and consideration, Sobieski has made the decision to step down from her ownership position and transition into a management role.

This change comes primarily due to complications surrounding the different locations between where she is based and where Roe and I are located. Unfortunately, these differences created legal and logistical challenges that made the ownership structure difficult to maintain in a way that would properly support the long term stability of the project.

We want to be very clear that this decision was made peacefully and mutually between the three of us, with everyone involved focused on doing what is best for the future of the business and the continued growth of the game. Sobieski remains an important part of the team, our right hand, and will continue contributing in a management capacity moving forward.

At this time, Roe and I will continue leading the project and tracking the development of the game as we push forward toward our goals. Our focus remains exactly where it has always been: building something meaningful for our community and ensuring the project continues to grow in a healthy and sustainable way.

We also want to share that these changes have been formally finalized from a legal standpoint to ensure everything moving forward is structured properly and responsibly.

We’re Still Recruiting!

As development continues to grow, we are currently seeking a few additional team members with experience in:

• 3D Model Animation

• C++ Development / Blueprint Design in Unreal Engine 5

At this time, these positions are volunteer based until stated otherwise. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about collaborative development, open communication, and helping shape something meaningful from the ground up.

If you or someone you know has experience in these areas and would like to be part of an early stage project with long term vision, please reach out or share the word!

We appreciate each and every one of you more than words can truly express. Whether you’ve been here since day one or just recently joined, you are part of this journey.

Please enjoy the videos and photos from Wildborne’s first official Alpha test!

This is only the beginning, and we cannot wait to show you what comes next.