The live-service shooter Highguard is shutting down weeks after launch, marking one of the fastest collapses in recent memory for a major multiplayer title.
Developer Wildlight Entertainment confirmed the decision in a public statement posted on March 3, announcing that the game’s servers will permanently go offline on March 12.
“Today we’re sharing difficult news. We have made the decision to permanently shut down Highguard on March 12,” the studio said in its announcement.
The abrupt closure caps off a chaotic rollout that saw the once-hyped title rapidly lose players, face internal layoffs, and draw criticism across the gaming community.
A Rapid Collapse After Launch
Highguard launched on January 26, 2026 as a free-to-play PvP raid shooter developed by Wildlight Entertainment. The game attempted to combine hero shooter mechanics with extraction-style gameplay and fantasy elements, placing players in the role of “Wardens” battling across a mythical continent.
Despite early interest, the player base quickly collapsed.
An X post by Wildlight about Highguard shutting down – X, @playhighguard
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According to the studio’s own statement, the problem ultimately came down to retention.
“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,” Wildlight admitted.
The company did note that the game initially attracted attention, claiming that more than two million players tried the title after launch.
But as has become increasingly common in the live-service space, curiosity didn’t translate into long-term engagement.
Layoffs and Funding Problems Behind the Scenes
The shutdown announcement arrives after weeks of turmoil inside the studio.
Shortly after Highguard launched, Wildlight reportedly laid off the majority of its staff as player numbers plummeted.
Highguard concurrent player count on February 17, 2026 – Steam
Industry reporting later indicated that Tencent—believed to be a key financial backer for the project—had withdrawn funding following the disappointing launch, forcing the studio to dramatically scale down operations.
What remained was a small core team tasked with keeping the game operational long enough to deliver final updates.
Those efforts ultimately proved insufficient to stabilize the project.
One Final Update Before the End
Before servers go offline permanently, Wildlight says it will release one final update as a send-off for the remaining players.
“Servers will remain online until March 12. We hope you’ll jump in with us one more time to show your support and get those final great matches in while we still can,” the studio said.
An image from Highguard – Wildlight Entertainment
The final patch will reportedly include several additions to the game, including:
- A new Warden
- A new weapon
- Account level progression
- Skill trees
“The team is excited to release one final game update to enjoy in the remaining life of the game,” Wildlight added.
Another Live-Service Casualty
The collapse of Highguard highlights the brutal reality of the live-service market.
Even projects with experienced developers, large publishers, and heavy marketing pushes can fail if player engagement disappears after launch. The game was initially promoted during major industry events and launched with high expectations, but the momentum evaporated quickly.
A message on the Highguard website that lists it as unavailable – PlayHighguard.com
Unless something unexpected changes in the coming days, Highguard will officially go offline on March 12—less than two months after its debut.
For the developers who worked on the project and the small community that remained, the shutdown brings a swift and definitive end to what was once positioned as a major new entry into the crowded live-service shooter space.
Are you surprised Highguard is shutting down? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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I have no sympathy for this company. They intentionally tried to hide the fact they were funded by Tencent in order to falsely position themselves as the next indie darling in the industry. They falsely tried to ride the coat tails of Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Sandfall Iteractive (Expedition 33.) When it further came out that the only reason, they got the final trailer at the VGAs was because Tencent has a seat on the board of the VGAs, and not because “Geoff K just liked it so darn much.” their fraud became more laughable than insulting. The game was from the start, a joke and a bad one at that.
HR and its DEI are destroying corporations.
“Servers to Go Dark” – that’s a reason to only use software you “own”. Open source being the best, as it is free and, well, open.
Gamers have been rejecting this Games as a Service slop soundly for years and years. Yet we still got Concord (they ignored all sane feedback), Highguard (who didn’t even solicit feedback from anyone important), and soon Marathon from Bungie which is likely to be their deathknell.
It is the most wishlisted game on Steam right now but, as one youtuber mentioned, so was Veilguard.
How do you explain Helldivers 2?