Highguard Studio Hit by Lay-Offs, “Core Group” of Employees Will Continue Development

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Even though the game Highguard just received a major update with new content, its developer, Wildlight Entertainment, is facing challenges. The studio announced on social media that they’ve had to reduce staff. They didn’t say exactly how many people were affected, but confirmed a smaller team will continue developing the free-to-play multiplayer shooter.

We’ve made the very tough decision to reduce our team size, letting go of some members while retaining a core group of developers to keep the game running and continue making improvements,” the developer explained. “We’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve built together as a team, and we appreciate everyone who has played and supported the game.”

Alex Graner, a former level designer for the game Highguard, announced on LinkedIn that the majority of the development team at Wildlight had been let go. He also mentioned that a significant amount of content for the game was still in development but will now likely go unreleased.

Graner announced on social media that they were laid off today, along with much of the team at Wildlight. They expressed disappointment, particularly because they had been excited about unreleased content they and others had created for the game Highguard.

The game Highguard was revealed at The Game Awards 2025 in December, but its unveiling was a bit unusual – it was the last trailer shown. Before Highguard, a PvP raid shooter, launched in January, many people were curious about it, particularly because the initial trailer didn’t include any actual gameplay footage.

Chad Grenier, a co-founder of the studio, has admitted that revealing Highguard at The Game Awards was perhaps a bit of a gamble. Their initial plan was to release the game immediately after the announcement, similar to what they did with Apex Legends. However, Geoff Keighley wanted to make the reveal more memorable and do something different.

Grenier explained that they’ve known Geoff for a while, and when he offered to help, they jumped at the opportunity, even though it seemed a bit risky looking back. They wanted to do something different with the free-to-play PvP raid shooter. They quickly put together a trailer, but it didn’t get the reaction they’d hoped for. Looking back, they realize the trailer focused on entertainment rather than showing how the game actually plays or what makes it special.

Wildlight Entertainment’s CEO, Dusty Welch, recently confessed he’s still second-guessing whether revealing their game at The Game Awards 2025 was the right move.

He acknowledged it was a good question, one he often considers himself. He plans to keep asking it, even if things go really well. He’s interested in how the business operates and how they communicate with both players and the media, and wants to constantly evaluate if their approach is the best one. He admits he doesn’t have a definitive answer yet.

You can play Highguard on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game’s servers are currently still running, and there are no announced plans to take it offline. For a deeper look at the game, read our launch review. You can also find information about the 5v5 mode, which is now a permanent part of the game.

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2026-02-12 14:41