Wildlight Studios has announced that it will be shutting down its game, Highguard, on March 12, with servers remaining online until that date, following a significant decline in player counts.
Highguard was launched just 46 days prior to the announcement, achieving a post-launch peak of over 97,000 concurrent players on Steam. Despite this initial success, the game struggled to maintain a sustainable player base, with its concurrent player count reportedly falling to around 300 following its initial peak, as per SteamDB data. The decline in player counts allegedly led to investor Tencent pulling funding, thereby reducing the studio’s financial runway. As a result, Wildlight Studios had to lay off staff shortly after launch, although a smaller team continued to support the game.
According to the studio’s statement via the game’s X account, more than two million players had stepped into Highguard’s world since its launch. While the studio acknowledged player feedback and content creation, it was unable to build a sustainable player base to support the game long-term. The final update for Highguard includes a new character, weapon, and skill trees, as well as a “5v5 raid mode.”
Bloomberg reported that Wildlight’s executives, who are comprised of former Respawn employees, had hoped to replicate the shadowdrop success of Apex Legends. However, the studio shared little marketing information after Highguard’s debut at the Game Awards 2025. Highguard combined competitive hero shooter mechanics with MOBA strategy elements, and despite initial post-launch layoffs, a smaller team was employed to add content to the game.
