Wildlight Entertainment has confirmed that its free-to-play raid shooter Highguard will go offline on 12 March 2026. That gives it just 45 days of life since its 26 January launch. For a live service game, that’s barely enough time to settle in.
The news came through the studio’s official statement, calling it a “difficult decision”. More than 2 million players tried the game across PC and consoles. But trying a game is not the same as staying.
Despite a launch peak of 97,000 concurrent players on Steam, the numbers dropped quickly. Reviews turned negative almost overnight. Many players left feedback before even finishing the tutorial. Momentum never really recovered.
Highguard shutdown highlights the risk of live service shooters
As a free-to-play title, Highguard depended on battle passes and skins to survive. When funding from Tencent reportedly stopped, the studio ran out of room to manoeuvre. Layoffs followed just two weeks after launch.
What makes this harder to watch is the talent behind it. The team included developers who previously worked on Apex Legends. Expectations were high. Maybe too high.
Before the servers close, one final update is coming. It adds a new Warden, a weapon, account progression, and skill trees. A small glimpse of what could have been.
The live service space is brutal right now. Even strong ideas struggle to break through. Highguard never really got the time to fight back.
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