Highguard In Trouble After Most Of The Studio Laid Off Just Weeks After Launch [Update]

Why It Matters

The layoffs underscore the financial risk of launching live‑service multiplayer games without a strong player base, signaling caution for other indie studios. Investors and publishers will watch how Wildlight sustains the title with a reduced team.

Key Takeaways

• Wildlight laid off most staff weeks after Highguard launch.
• Game launched Jan 26 with lukewarm reception and low concurrency.
• Developers added 5v5 mode within first week to address feedback.
• Studio retains core team to support and innovate on game.
• Layoffs highlight sustainability challenges for new multiplayer launches.

Pulse Analysis

The launch of Highguard illustrates the razor‑thin margin that new live‑service shooters face in a crowded market. While the game generated buzz at the 2025 Game Awards, its post‑release metrics fell short of expectations, with low concurrent player counts and mixed critical feedback. For studios like Wildlight, the cost structure of ongoing server maintenance, content pipelines, and community support can quickly outpace revenue when a title fails to capture a critical mass of engaged users.

In response to early criticism, Wildlight rolled out a 5v5 mode within a week, a move that demonstrates agility but also highlights the pressure to iterate rapidly under public scrutiny. Director Chad Grenier’s comments about valuing player love over sheer numbers reflect a creator‑first ethos, yet the subsequent layoffs suggest that such ideals must be balanced against fiscal realities. The decision to retain a core team indicates a strategy to keep the game alive while trimming overhead, a pattern increasingly common among indie developers navigating post‑launch sustainability.

The broader industry takeaway is a cautionary signal for studios betting on multiplayer launches without guaranteed audience traction. Layoffs at Wildlight echo a growing trend where developers must pivot quickly, often at the expense of staff, to preserve cash flow. Investors are likely to demand more rigorous pre‑launch validation and diversified revenue models, while publishers may tighten funding criteria for similar projects. Understanding these dynamics is essential for any company planning to enter the competitive live‑service arena.

Highguard In Trouble After Most Of The Studio Laid Off Just Weeks After Launch [Update]

By Kenneth Shepard · Published February 11, 2026

Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind the new not‑hero shooter Highguard, has reportedly laid off “most” of its team just weeks after the game launched on January 26.

Level designer Alex Graner posted about the news on his LinkedIn account, saying he’s looking for whatever’s next after he and an unknown number of his fellow employees have been let go. Kotaku has reached out to Wildlight for comment and will update the story if we hear back.

“Unfortunately, along with most of the team at Wildlight, I was laid off today.

This one really stings as there was a lot of unreleased content I was really looking forward to that I and others designed for Highguard.

However, I’m excited for my next adventure. If your team or anyone you know needs an experienced Level Designer, hit me up!”

Highguard was announced in December during the 2025 Game Awards, and it didn’t go over very well with some sides of the internet. Then the team at Wildlight went radio silent for weeks until the game finally launched at the end of January and press and content creators got hands‑on time with the game. The response to the final game was a bit lukewarm, though Wildlight was quick to respond to feedback about the game’s small 3v3 team compositions by adding a 5v5 mode within the first week.

Though the game seemed to struggle in terms of concurrent players, director and studio head Chad Grenier said in an interview with Polygon that the team was less concerned with player counts than it was with making something its player base enjoyed.

“Whether it gets a thousand people or a hundred million people, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “What matters most is that the game is loved by the people who played it.”

Update 2/11/2026, 7:39 p.m. ET: More and more developers are speaking publicly about the layoffs, reiterating that most of the studio seems to have been impacted.

Update 2/11/2026, 7:52 p.m. ET: Wildlight provided the following statement:

“Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to part ways with a number of our team members while keeping a core group of developers to continue innovating on and supporting the game.

We’re proud of the team, talent, and the product we’ve created together. We’re also grateful for players who gave the game a shot, and those who continue to be a part of our community.”