Highguard to Permanently Shut Down Less Than Two Months After Launch
Following Highguard's rocky launch and mixed reception, the online PvP raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment is due to shut down less than two months after its release.
Highguard from Wildlight Entertainment was released on January 26, 2026, following its reveal as the big closer at the end of last year's Game Awards show in December. Now, less than two months after its rocky launch, the game is due to shut down on March 12. The studio made the news official in a post on X/Twitter today.
Unfortunately, Highguard is not the first live service shooter to burst onto the scene only to fizzle out far quicker than its creators would have liked, as Concord serves as another surprisingly recent example.
Highguard, Wildlight Entertainment
Many people have speculated that the game's go-to-market strategy was its biggest enemy. The reveal at the end of The Game Awards perhaps could have gone over better had a more fitting trailer been selected to show the complexity of the game's systems.
Furthermore, a beta testing period that began as soon as the trailer aired could have been a perfect opportunity to get real feedback from players that could have resulted in a better, more robust game by the time full launch rolled around.
Since launch, more than 2 million players stepped into Highguard’s world. You shared feedback, created content, and many believed in what we were building. For that, we are deeply grateful.
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. Servers will remain online until March 12th. 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."
- Wildlight Entertainment
The studio also explained that one final update is still coming, despite the closure. This final update goes live tomorrow and includes another new character, a new weapon, and new progression features.
You can see the full statement in the post here:
While it was far from perfect, I was personally intrigued by Highguard's combination of genre mechanics that mixed together hero shooter-style characters with a sort of capture-the-flag meets first-person MOBA structure for its gameplay.
I also found the cinematics rather captivating that the studio was publishing to YouTube. It's a bit perplexing, however, why those weren't woven into the game more directly as part of its lore and storytelling.
There are lots of lessons to learn from the likes of Concord and Highguard, but chief among them is perhaps to assess your game's market fit and genre appeal with heavier scrutiny.
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