WIBO April Newsletter 2026

April’s Newsletter is Here! 🌿

As a reminder, we’re still very early in development, and everything shown is a work in progress. Features, designs, systems, and visuals are all subject to change as we continue refining Wildborne and building its foundation from the ground up.

We truly appreciate your patience, support, and excitement as this project grows. Your encouragement means the world to us and helps keep this vision moving forward.

This month, we’re excited to share a look at what we’ve been working on behind the scenes, give a few progress updates, and offer a glimpse at what’s ahead.

Now, let’s dive in! ✨

Hey ya'll! I've been pretty busy with some more technical aspects of the game which would be pretty boring to go in depth about. But I do have some small new developments that I'd love to share, and some small teasers.

Prototype Swimming

Considering the recent maps from our development team contain a lot of water, it made sense to start getting to work on swimming mechanics. The basic mechanics for swimming are in-place so far, and swimming works properly in multiplayer. But there's still a lot of work to go with it especially in terms of animations, effects and overall game feel.

NPC Dialogue Options & Interactions

I've also been making some progress with the dialogue system. Working on dialogue options, and finding ways to tie dialogue into quests and mini-games. I'm trying to make this system fairly modular, so it can be easily used and manipulated by the map makers on our development team, and also for easy use in custom maps made by the community. It would be a lot of fun for our NPCs to be more than just static characters you talk to, so you can expect to see in the future more in-depth NPC interactions (like trading, mini-games, gifting, etc.)

On Multiplayer and Replication...

One major personal development of mine was getting markings to show up properly on map servers. Previously (including our first closed alpha test), when players joined everyone just had the same look to them which was the base white fur template. Sliders, markings and base color should all now show up properly on servers, and we'll show some footage of this in action when we have our next closed test.

We've also vastly improved the infrastructure and dedicated servers for our multiplayer. Servers should run a lot better for clients. We've been able to run four maps at once, with portals interlinking all of them (with very low performance cost on the server-side). And I expect that we'll easily be able to expand this to meet our needs.

Character Creator Updates

Alongside multiplayer-related things I also took some time to work a little bit more on the character creator. I got started on "Equips", using Mythicat's Triple Tail model to prototype it. It's still very work in progress but I'd love to show more equips for characters, and customization features for them in the future.

Steam post imageSteam post image

Another smaller addition I've added to the character creator is being able to change the color and intensity of your character's lantern.

Something that was really helpful in previous games were "presets", so I've been working on implementing those, but it's still a very work in progress system. Presets will save all of your current character's marking and slider data for use in other characters. Duplicating existing characters will also be an option. I'm also working on an "Undo" mechanic, but I'm curious how far back I can save the player's history in the creator. And lastly, I wanted characters to be able to have more personality to them, so I started adding more options to the character's Bio like pronouns, likes and dislikes.

Changes to the Character Creator limitations...

• The max limit of Characters will be increased from 16 to 50.

• The max limit of Presets will be 100.

• The max limit of Equips per character will be 8.

• The max limit of Markings per character will stay at 8 for now.

  (These are all subject to be potentially increased as we continue testing the game! None of these are completely final, it's just to show where we're at with our character creator limits.)

Photo Mode

Something I haven't shared too much of is the game's photo mode, but we're definitely working on it! We're planning for it to have two modes, "Complex" and "Simple". "Complex" mode has more photography related options and tools, and you can even select different popular lenses used in movies. "Simple" is if you'd just like to take a quick photo, with maybe a few options like color grading and DoF. We'll also be including frames and filters for your photos too. I personally think an in-game book/journal of all of the photos you've taken would be pretty neat too!

Thanks so much everybody for keeping up with the game! It's been a lot of fun working with the team and sharing new developments with ya'll. I'm super proud of the team too and what we've been able to accomplish so far. <3

M ythicat continues work on expanding Wildborne’s character customization, giving players even more freedom to make their creatures truly their own.

With the introduction of new ear styles and refined body options, players will have more ways than ever to shape their identity in game. From subtle adjustments to more distinct silhouettes, these additions help push Wildborne closer to a fully expressive and personalized experience.

Mythicat has been focusing on creating options that not only look great, but also blend naturally with our existing models and future customization plans. These updates are all about giving you the tools to stand out, whether you’re going for something grounded or completely unique.

We’re incredibly excited to keep expanding on these systems!

Work continues to carve out one of Wildborne’s most striking regions as Zepheren pushes forward on the evolving Canyon Map.

This environment is beginning to take form with sweeping cliff faces, layered rock formations, and winding pathways that guide exploration through the canyon’s depths. The terrain is being carefully shaped to create a sense of scale and verticality, giving players both expansive views.

While still a work in progress, the Canyon Map is steadily becoming a dynamic and memorable biome within Wildborne’s world. Future updates will continue to build on this foundation with additional detail, points of interest, and environmental storytelling.

Huge shoutout to Zepheren for the continued progress and dedication, this region is shaping up to be something truly special.

The Canyon Map isn’t just taking shape visually, it’s beginning to sound like Wildborne as well. We’re excited to share progress from Profgad, who has been working on bringing this region to life through its very own audio theme.

This track is being crafted to reflect the canyon’s scale, atmosphere, and emotion, blending ambient tones with subtle melodic elements to create an experience that feels both expansive and immersive. It’s designed to complement the environment rather than overpower it, allowing players to feel grounded in the space while still carrying a sense of wonder and movement through the world.

From quiet, wind swept moments to more layered and evolving soundscapes, the canyon’s audio direction is focusing on enhancing exploration and reinforcing the identity of the region. It’s an important step in building not just how Wildborne looks, but how it feels.

This is still a work in progress, but the foundation being laid is incredibly promising, and we’re excited to continue sharing its evolution as development moves forward. With this come's progress from Zeph and the canyon map as we continue making strides.

Huge shoutout to Profgad for the passion and creativity being poured into Wildborne’s sound.

The cold has arrived in Wildborne, and with it comes a breathtaking new region taking shape, our Winter Tundra, brought to life by the incredibly talented Auccultist.

This map captures the quiet beauty and harsh stillness of a frozen world. Expansive snowfields stretch beneath pale skies, while frosted pines and icy terrain create a sense of isolation and wonder. Subtle environmental storytelling is woven throughout, inviting players to explore and uncover what lies beneath the surface of this serene, but unforgiving, landscape.

As development continues, the Winter Tundra will evolve with additional points of interest, wildlife, and interactive elements that bring the biome to life within the world of Wildborne.

Huge shoutout to Auccultist for the passion and detail being poured into this area, we can’t wait for you all to step into the cold and experience it firsthand.

The heart of Wildborne continues to grow stronger as Zio pushes forward with ongoing work on the Mother Tree map, bringing new life and depth into one of our most important regions.

Recent progress has focused on expanding the environment through newly modeled rocks, roots, and trees, all crafted to better define the scale and identity of the Mother Tree’s domain. These assets help ground the world visually while enhancing the sense of age, power, and natural magic that surrounds this central landmark.

This is still very much a work in progress, but each update continues to bring us closer to a rich, explorable environment that players can truly get lost in.

Huge shoutout to Zio for the continued dedication and detail being poured into this space!

We’re excited to highlight Ky’s work this month as they join our 90-day trainee program., bringing one of the most nostalgic and immersive features back to life, text based lip syncing!

Inspired by the charm of older titles many of us grew up with, this system allows your character to visually “speak” in real time as you type, adding a whole new layer of personality and expression to in game interactions and content creation. Whether you're roleplaying, chatting with friends, creating or just exploring the world, this feature helps make every moment feel more alive and connected.

Amazing work, Ky! We can’t wait for the community to see this in action! 🩵

We’re excited to spotlight Sito, who has officially begun work on the early development of the Darkwoods Map as part of our 90-day trainee program.

As one of our trainees, Sito has jumped in by laying the groundwork for this darker, more mysterious region of Wildborne. Early progress includes the creation of modeled mangrove and hickory trees, helping to establish the foundation and identity of the environment.

The Darkwoods is envisioned as a dense, atmospheric biome, one that leans into shadow, depth, and subtle unease. The introduction of these tree assets plays a key role in shaping that tone, giving the region a more grounded and immersive feel even in its early stages.

Our 90-day trainee program is designed to give new team members the opportunity to grow, learn, and contribute meaningfully to the project, whilst also ensuring they fit in with the rest of the team and show good work flow, and it’s been great to see Sito already taking these big steps in development!

This area is still in its early phases, but we’re excited to continue watching both the map and Sito’s development evolve over time.

Huge shoutout to Sito for getting started and diving into the world of Wildborne, we’re looking forward to seeing where this journey goes.

We want to take a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come and say how incredibly proud we are of the team we’ve built here. Watching this project grow from an idea into something tangible has been a journey, and the continued dedication, effort, and passion from every member of the team is something we, as an ownership group, genuinely value. The progress being made is not just steady, it’s meaningful, and it shows in every piece of work being contributed.

At the same time, we want to extend that appreciation beyond the team and to our community. Your continued support, patience, and trust in us to bring Wildborne to life has not gone unnoticed. We understand the history of this genre and the hesitations that can come with it, which makes your willingness to stand by us and believe in what we’re building all the more important. You are just as much a part of this journey as we are, and we’re incredibly grateful to have you alongside us.

This past month has brought some exciting progress across several areas of development. We’ve begun exploring and implementing creator focused content options, something that aligns closely with our vision of making Wildborne a more community driven experience while still maintaining the structure and protections needed for the project long term. Alongside that, we’ve continued work on the lip-sync systems, a feature many of you are familiar with and excited to see evolve, and have started integrating photo and video mode functionality, giving players the ability to capture and share the moments that make these worlds feel alive.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to share that our second alpha test is approaching quickly. These tests are incredibly important to us, not just for stability and feedback, but for bringing people together and beginning to shape the kind of experience Wildborne is meant to offer. We’re looking forward to showcasing more from these sessions, including moments shared between staff and our testing members, as we continue refining and building on what we have.

There is still a long road ahead, and as always, everything remains a work in progress. But with the team we have, the direction we’re heading, and the support behind us, we feel confident and excited about what’s to come.

Thank you for being here with us.