Highguard to shut down weeks after launch as Wildlight pulls servers offline
Wildlight’s multiplayer shooter failed to retain players in a crowded live-service market.
Wildlight Entertainment has officially announced the permanent closure of their free-to-play multiplayer siege shooter, Highguard. Despite launching just weeks ago on January 26, the game simply could not maintain the active player base necessary to sustain its live-service model. Following an official statement from the developer regarding the lack of long-term support, the servers will officially go offline on March 12.
The Challenges of a Crowded Market
Highguard faced an uphill battle right from the beginning. First revealed as the final world premiere at The Game Awards 2025, the game was immediately met with mixed reactions. While the title attracted a surprisingly strong initial audience at launch, those player numbers dwindled at a rapid pace.
The development team at Wildlight Entertainment, an independent studio formed by former Respawn Entertainment veterans known for their incredible work on Apex Legends and Titanfall, tried to keep the momentum going. Even with partial funding from Chinese tech giant Tencent, an ambitious year-long content roadmap, and substantial post-launch updates, the studio was forced to lay off the majority of its staff merely a couple of weeks after release.
Despite the unfortunate news, the developers want to give the community a proper send-off. Before the servers shut down permanently, Wildlight will release one final update to improve the current experience. Slated to arrive immediately, this patch brings a variety of new features that directly benefit the remaining players looking to enjoy the final matches.
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Fans can expect a brand new playable Warden to experiment with, an additional weapon to master, fully implemented skill trees, and a new account level progression system. These additions offer a fresh layer of strategy and gameplay depth, giving players a meaningful way to enjoy the final days in the arena while getting a final glimpse of the expanded vision the team originally had in mind.
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