Highguard Has Raided Its Last Fortress, Will Shutdown On March 12

Highguard, nan live-service multiplayer shooter that was announced astatine nan Game Awards 2025, is shutting down connected March 12. Developer Wildlight Studios shared that nan crippled would beryllium winding down alongside specifications of its last update, which see a caller character, limb and accomplishment trees.

"Today we’re sharing difficult news. We person made nan determination to permanently unopen down Highguard connected March 12," Wildlight Studios shared via a connection connected nan Highguard X account. "Since launch, much than 2 cardinal players stepped into Highguard’s world. You shared feedback, created content, and galore believed successful what we were building. For that, we are profoundly grateful. Despite nan passion and difficult activity of our team, we person not been capable to build a sustainable subordinate guidelines to support nan crippled agelong term. Servers will stay online until March 12. We dream you’ll jump successful pinch america 1 much clip to show your support and get those last awesome matches successful while we still can."

When Highguard shuts down adjacent week, it will person been disposable to play for a expansive full of 46 days. That's longer than nan 2 weeks Concord received, but tragic for an online multiplayer crippled that was still successful immoderate shape of progressive development. Wildlight Studios laid disconnected immoderate of its staff not agelong aft Highguard launched, but a smaller squad of developers has been supporting nan crippled pinch caller contented since then, adding things for illustration a "5v5 ambush mode" and today's last update.

While it's easy to chalk up Highguard's nonaccomplishment to a shrinking appetite for live-service games aliases an inability to find an assemblage for nan game's operation of competitory leader shooter and MOBA strategy mechanics, nan reality is much complicated. The first hint that Highguard's motorboat mightiness beryllium troubled was nan dearth of accusation aliases trading shared astir nan crippled aft its debut astatine nan Game Awards. Wildlight Studios' unit was afloat of erstwhile Respawn labor who shadowdropped Apex Legends to awesome success, and Bloomberg reports Wildight's executives thought they could propulsion disconnected thing akin pinch Highguard. The quality is, small was known astir Apex Legends until aft it launched, while players had complete a period to stew connected nan Highguard trailer and shape each sorts of opinions.

Wildlight's inability to support players coming backmost — SteamDB shows nan crippled peaked astatine complete 97,000 concurrent players and is now sitting astatine astir 300 — besides wounded its chances. Dwindling subordinate counts reportedly played a domiciled successful 1 of Wildlight's investors, Tencent, pulling funding, which reduced nan runway nan workplace had to proceed moving connected nan crippled and apt prompted its layoffs. It would beryllium elemental if nan instruction present was for early studios to springiness up processing online multiplayer games, but it really seems for illustration not one, but each of these elements led to Highguard's eventual demise.