Highguard
News, coverage and analysis tracking Highguard across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Highguard Permanently Shuts Down on 12th March
Wildlight Entertainment has announced that its live service shooter Highguard will permanently shut down on March 12, 2026, just 46 days after its release. Despite initial player interest, the game failed to maintain a sustainable player base. A final update will add new characters, skill trees, and weapons before servers go offline.
Highguard to end service on March 12
Wildlight Entertainment announced that its free-to-play shooter Highguard will cease operations on March 12, just 45 days after its launch on January 26 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. Despite a significant player base at launch, the developer cited an inability to build a sustainable community. A final update adding new content is planned before the shutdown.
Highguard to receive one final update before shutting down permanently next week
Wildlight Entertainment announced that its live-service shooter Highguard will permanently shut down its servers on March 12. Despite attracting over two million players since launch, the game failed to build a sustainable player base. A final update will be released before the shutdown, adding new content and progression systems.
Highguard Is Shutting Down Soon
Highguard will officially shut down on March 12, developer Wildlight announced, citing a failure to build a sustainable player base. The game will receive one final update adding new content before servers go offline. Highguard launched in January 2026 after being revealed at The Game Awards in December 2025, but failed to maintain its initial player momentum.
Highguard Joins The List Of Live-Service Games Axed Within Weeks Of Launch
Several live-service games, including Highguard, Concord, and RumbleVerse, have been shut down shortly after launch due to issues with player retention and funding. This article examines various titles that failed to sustain their player base or business models, leading to premature closures or development halts.
Highguard Struggled Because It Is So Sweaty, Dev Says
Wildlight's free-to-play shooter Highguard struggled due to its intense 3v3 gameplay, which required high communication and left little room for casual play, according to senior level designer Alex Graner. The game's complex multi-stage setup and high-skill movement also deterred new players. Despite later additions of 5v5 and looting-free modes, player numbers did not recover, leading to Tencent reportedly pulling funding and Wildlight laying off most of its staff.
The Game Awards 2025 - All Winners and Announcements - NintendoFuse
The Game Awards 2025, hosted by Geoff Keighley, celebrated the best of video games with numerous awards and announcements. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was a major winner, taking home Game of the Year and several other accolades. The event also featured trailers and reveals for upcoming titles like Grand Theft Auto VI, Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, and Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic.
Highguard lever – har fått nytt innehåll
Despite receiving a content update and promises of a new patch, the game Highguard has not seen an increase in its player base since its January launch. The game's website, which had previously shut down, is now back online. Highguard initially garnered attention as the closing title of The Game Awards, but has since received low user ratings and experienced a significant drop in concurrent players from its launch day peak.
Report: Fewer than 20 staff remain at Highguard dev Wildlight Entertainment
Fewer than 20 employees reportedly remain at Highguard developer Wildlight Entertainment following significant layoffs after the game's troubled launch. Sources indicate the studio ran out of money, despite being initially funded by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group. The free-to-play shooter lost approximately 90% of its player base within a week of its January 26 release.
One former Highguard level designer thinks it's struggled because Wildlight "leaned too far into the competitive scene"
A former senior level designer for Highguard suggests the game struggled due to an overemphasis on its competitive 3v3 format, which created a high skill floor and limited casual appeal. Unlike Apex Legends, which launched during a nascent battle royale era, Highguard faced a more saturated market with a steep learning curve, potentially alienating players who lacked consistent team coordination.
Former Highguard level designer suggests "sweaty" competitive 3v3 play "was the biggest thing that turned a lot of players off"
A former level designer for Highguard suggests that the game's focus on intense 3v3 competitive play alienated many players. The game's complex rules and high skill requirement for team-based play created a steep barrier to entry. This comes amid reports that Tencent pulled funding from developer Wildlight shortly after the game's launch, leading to layoffs.
Ex Highguard dev pins its failure on being "the sweatiest version" of a team shooter
A former level designer for the multiplayer shooter Highguard attributes the game's failure to its overly competitive and complicated nature. The complexity reportedly prevented new players from engaging with the game.
Sony ditches PC & Stardew Valley News | TAG
Sony is reportedly shifting focus back to console exclusivity for its single-player PlayStation games, potentially limiting future PC releases. Meanwhile, Stardew Valley's upcoming 1.7 update will add new marriage candidates, and Nvidia has recalled a problematic GPU driver.
Highguard started life as a survival shooter, and Tencent pulled funding two weeks after launch, a new report claims
Tencent allegedly pulled funding from the multiplayer shooter Highguard just two weeks after its January 26 launch, leading to layoffs of most of the 100-person team at developer Wildlight. The report suggests the game failed to meet Tencent's metrics, with fewer than 20 employees remaining at the studio. Highguard's development was marked by a pivot from a survival-shooter concept to a more crowded competitive shooter space, resulting in a complex core gameplay loop.
Valve in hot water, Discord begs forgiveness, and more game media layoffs - Patch Notes #42
This week's gaming news roundup covers significant industry events including Microsoft's Xbox leadership changes, Valve facing a lawsuit over gambling in Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2, and layoffs at companies like Riot Games and Eurogamer. Additionally, Krafton appointed a chief AI officer, Embark Studios' CEO became Nexon's executive chairman, and Discord delayed its age verification rollout.
What went wrong with Highguard? The "hubris" of its developer's leadership, say former staff in a new report
A report details issues surrounding the development and launch of Highguard, with former Wildlight Entertainment staff citing leadership hubris and financial mismanagement. The studio, founded by former Respawn developers, struggled with scope and a surprise launch strategy, leading to layoffs and a significantly reduced remaining team.
Could pre-launch open testing have saved Highguard?
Wildlight Entertainment's live service shooter Highguard failed shortly after launch due to a lack of public testing and a management decision to prioritize secrecy over community feedback. Developers cited hubris and a desire to replicate Apex Legends' secretive launch as contributing factors to the game's rapid player drop-off and the studio's subsequent implosion.
Highguard's new Raid Rush mode nips the looting phase in the bud, and it could be enough to turn its fortunes around
Wildlight Entertainment has introduced a new 'Raid Rush' mode to its multiplayer shooter Highguard, aiming to improve player retention by removing the looting phase. The update also includes weapon balance adjustments and a reduction in the Reviver Amulet's effectiveness. Legacy 3v3 modes have been disabled to consolidate the player base into the new 5v5 mode.
Highguard barely has several hundred people playing together each day - can an incoming all-out action mode reverse its fate?
Developer Wildlight is introducing a new 'Raid Rush' mode to Highguard in an attempt to reverse its declining player count, which has fallen from approximately 13,000 daily concurrent players in February to just 694. The fast-paced mode pits two teams of five against each other in base attack and defense scenarios, removing the looting phase. Despite previous efforts like adding larger team modes and facing layoffs, the game's future remains uncertain, especially with competing titles like Marathon and Overwatch gaining traction.
Godot veteran laments 'AI slop,' Highguard's mystery investor, and a big doc for Big Hops - Patch Notes #41
This week's gaming news highlights concerns over generative AI's impact on hardware availability and the influx of low-quality submissions to open-source projects like Godot. Unity claims its AI can now generate full casual games from prompts, while a documentary explores the six-year development of the indie platformer Big Hops. Other news includes Hasbro shutting down its Atomic Arcade studio, Tencent's secret funding of Highguard, a banned Call of Duty ad, ByteDance potentially selling Moonton, and Valve warning of Steam Deck OLED stock issues due to RAM shortages.
