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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Wildlight Entertainment confirmed staff cuts less than three weeks after Highguard launched, while former employees described the layoffs as affecting “most” of the team. The studio did not disclose a number. It initially said a core group would keep supporting the game, but Highguard shut down on March 12, 2026.
Did Wildlight lay off most of its staff?
Former Wildlight level designer Alex Graner wrote that he had been laid off “along with most of the team,” according to PC Gamer’s February 12, 2026 report. Wildlight’s own statement was less specific: it confirmed that it had parted ways with “a number” of team members, but gave no total. The “most” characterization is therefore attributed to former employees, not an official headcount.
In the statement reproduced by Game Developer, 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.”
When did the layoffs happen?
Highguard launched as a free-to-play game on January 26, 2026. Reports of layoffs appeared February 11, 16 days after launch; Wildlight confirmed staff cuts on February 12, 17 days after launch. Dot Esports covered the reports and launch date.
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- January 26: Highguard launches.
- February 11: Former employees’ layoff accounts circulate.
- February 12: Wildlight confirms it has parted ways with a number of team members and says a core group will continue supporting the game.
What happened to Highguard after the layoffs?
The February statement described a plan for a core team to continue supporting the game, not a guarantee that it would remain online indefinitely. On March 3, Wildlight announced that Highguard would close, with servers scheduled to go offline March 12. That closure took place on the announced date.
In the shutdown announcement quoted by Dot Esports, Wildlight said: “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.” As a result, Highguard is no longer playable online.
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What do the player figures tell us?
The reported numbers describe different things and should not be treated as competing estimates of the same audience. PC Gamer reported a launch peak of 97,249 concurrent players on Steam and daily peaks in the low thousands by February 12. Those are Steam concurrency figures, not total players across platforms.
In the March shutdown announcement, Wildlight said more than 2 million players had entered the game since launch, as reported by Dot Esports. That cumulative figure reflects player reach over time; it does not show how many people were playing simultaneously or how many remained active.
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