Highguard Hero Shooter Dies March 12

Wildlight Entertainment was founded by industry veterans from Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind *Apex Legends* and *Titanfall*. CEO Dusty Welch and Studio Head Chad Grenier brought experience from major franchises like *Call of Duty*, setting high expectations for *Highguard* as the new studio's debut title. The game received a high-profile reveal as the final world premiere at The Game Awards on December 11, 2025. Host Geoff Keighley, a friend of the studio, personally championed the game for the premium slot, a move that was not a paid promotion. Despite the prominent placement, the reveal was met with a lukewarm reception from viewers. *Highguard* launched on January 26, 2026, and saw an initial surge, peaking at 97,249 concurrent players on Steam. However, this momentum was short-lived, as the game lost 90% of its player base within the first week of release. Player feedback was critical from the start, leading to "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam. Common complaints centered on the 3v3 match format, which players felt was ill-suited for the game's large maps, making them feel empty. The studio's collapse was swift. Just two weeks after the game's launch, Wildlight Entertainment laid off the majority of its staff. The official shutdown announcement came shortly after, marking a lifespan of less than two months for the online shooter. The failure of *Highguard* is another example of the brutal hero shooter market, which is dominated by established giants. The game joins a growing list of well-funded shooters that failed to find a sustainable audience, including Amazon's *Crucible*, Sony's *Concord*, and Boss Key Productions' *LawBreakers*.