Wildlight Entertainment has confirmed major layoffs at its studio just weeks after the launch of its debut title, Highguard, a free-to-play raid shooter that struggled to maintain player interest following its January 26 release.
The layoffs were first announced through LinkedIn posts by former team members, including level designer Alex Graner, who stated that he and “most of the team at Wildlight” were let go. The studio later issued an official statement confirming the decision, though it did not specify the number of affected employees.
In its statement, Wildlight said: “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.” The company emphasized its pride in the team and product while expressing gratitude to players who supported the title.
The Road to Layoffs
Highguard faced significant headwinds from its announcement at The Game Awards in December 2025. The game received mixed critical reception and struggled to build a stable player base, particularly due to its initial limitation of 3v3 as the only game mode. While Wildlight responded with a 5v5 mode addition in early February, player numbers had already dropped to fewer than 5,000 concurrent players, despite the studio’s ambitious post-launch roadmap.
The game combines FPS mechanics with rideable mounts and raid-style gameplay, developed by a team of veterans from Respawn Entertainment (Apex Legends, Titanfall) and Call of Duty franchises. According to reports, Wildlight Entertainment had over 100 employees before the layoffs.
Uncertainty for Future Content
A major concern emerging from the layoffs is the fate of planned content. Designer Alex Graner noted in his announcement that there was “a lot of unreleased content I was really looking forward to that I and others designed for Highguard,” raising questions about whether these features will ever reach players.
The situation mirrors other high-profile failures in the live service space, most notably Sony’s Concord, which shut down entirely just two weeks after launch. However, Wildlight has committed to maintaining the game through its remaining core development team, avoiding complete shutdown.
The layoffs underscore the ongoing volatility in the gaming industry’s live service sector, where even well-funded debuts from experienced developers can struggle to gain traction against established competitors.