Geoff’s Hype Couldn’t Stop Highguard’s Demolition

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Geoff’s Hype Couldn’t Stop Highguard’s Demolition

Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind Highguard, has reportedly let go of most of its staff. This suggests that Highguard has already been wrapped up, in a story that has been sadly predicted by many since the game’s launch.

Highguard began in a prominent place, the final announcement of The Game Awards 2025. The first sound was followed by a period of silence, with some worried that the game had been canned. Then, on January 26, Highguard launches on PC and consoles with a free-to-play model, allowing anyone to jump in.

Highguard: How to play Una

And the forest.

While the previews for Highguard were solid, it didn’t show in the player numbers. As reported by Shinobi602 on Twitter/X, several members of the Highguard team have posted on LinkedIn that they have been suspended, stating that the rest of the game’s content has been shelved.

What’s Next for Highguard?

Laying off most of the staff is a very bad sign for the live service game, especially right after launch. Sadly, Concord lasted about the same amount of time before being shelved, and recently, the 2XKO team dropped out, suggesting that the game may be on the chopping block soon.

While Highguard received a lot of buzz, from the Game Awards, and there was a lot of controversy surrounding the game, it seems that no attention has been translated to the players who stick and invest in their game.

Laying off most of the staff is a very bad sign for the live service game, especially right after launch.

Ultimately, a game lives or dies by its gameplay. Highguard had a lot of advantages over most of the titles that were thrown on Steam with little popularity, and it couldn’t sell itself. If the game was fun enough to keep people coming in day after day, like ARC raiders, it would be a contender.

So, what’s next for Highguard? Is a Final Fantasy 14-style revival on the cards? It seems that this is the end of Highguard, and that there are limits to what advertising, both good and bad, can be done in a live service game.