Highguard, the free-to-play squad shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, is shutting down for good on March 12th. The announcement comes less than two months after its January 26th launch, despite the game pulling in 2 million players. The studio confirmed, “Despite the passion and hard work of our team, we have not been able to build a sustainable player base to support the game long term.”
Before the servers go dark, Highguard will get one final update-dropping either tonight or tomorrow. Players can expect a new character, a fresh weapon, and a handful of last-minute tweaks. It’s a bittersweet send-off for a game that had a flashy reveal at The Game Awards in December and was the debut title from a studio stacked with ex-Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and Titanfall devs.
Behind the scenes, things unraveled fast. Wildlight laid off most of its staff in February. The Highguard website vanished a week later, fueling rumors of an imminent shutdown. Now it’s official: the game is done, and so is most of the studio.
Why this matters for gamers
For players, this is another reminder that live-service games can disappear overnight-even with a big-name team and publisher backing (reportedly including Tencent). If you spent money on cosmetics or battle passes, there’s no word on refunds. The final update is your last shot to see new content before everything goes offline.
The short lifespan isn’t unique to Highguard. Sony recently pulled the plug on Concord and closed its studio just weeks after launch, despite eight years of development. Riot’s fighting game 2XKO saw layoffs weeks after release. Even single-player studios like Remedy have struggled to break into the live-service market.
Publishers keep chasing the Fortnite dream-massive player bases and steady cash flow-but the reality is brutal. Hits like Arc Raiders are rare, and most newcomers barely get a chance before being axed. Despite the carnage, the live-service gold rush isn’t slowing down. Sony still has projects like Marathon and a co-op Horizon spinoff in the works.
The bottom line
- If you’re playing Highguard, log in now-servers close March 12th.
- Live-service games can vanish fast, no matter the studio pedigree or player count.
- Don’t get too attached to your cosmetics or progress: nothing’s permanent in live-service land.