It feels like we only just finished talking about the “Controversy of the Week” regarding Highguard, and now, it’s already over.
Wildlight Entertainment has officially confirmed that their 3v3 multiplayer shooter is pulling the plug on March 12th—just 45 days after it launched.
If you feel like you’ve got whiplash, you’re not alone, and whilst this isn’t a massive shock. It certainly feels incredibly fast, like what was the decision making process here? The game hasn’t had enough time to find it’s feet and potentially a core audience. It’s a little crazy to just give up so quickly. But live service relies on repeat visits and money made in in-game stores. I guess the minute that looks non-viable, you have to pull the plug before losing any more money.
The Rise and Immediate Fall
Revealed at The Game Awards 2025 with a “shadow drop” vibe that was clearly swinging for the fences, Highguard was supposed to be the next big thing in the extraction/raid shooter space. It even had a decent start, peaking at nearly 100k players on Steam. But the honeymoon period didn’t just end—it evaporated.
Between the “secret” Tencent funding drama and a generic art style that failed to grab anyone’s imagination, the player base plummeted faster than a laggy frame rate. We’ve seen this story before (looking at you, Concord), but Highguard seems to have set a new land-speed record for the “Live Service Graveyard.”
It’s another example of perhaps publicity doing more harm than good. Going fromt hat announcment trailer, stirring-up speculation, and then going dark until days before release. Well, that was a choice. All it did was get a potential fanbase irked and off on the wrong foot. Highguard is lacking in plenty of ways, but it didn’t really get a fighting chance from the get-go.
A Final Patch for the Road?
In a move that’s leaving most of us scratching our heads, Wildlight is releasing one final update before the servers go dark. They’re adding a new Warden, a new weapon, and even a progression system with skill trees.
It’s a nice gesture for the handful of people still grinding matches, but it feels a bit like remodeling the kitchen while the house is being demolished. If you actually enjoyed the 3v3 loop, you’ve got until March 12th to see what could have been.
Our Take
We love a good indie success story, and we genuinely want to see new studios succeed. But Highguard feels like a classic case of “design-by-committee” meeting a “go big or go home” business model. It had the funding and the prime-time marketing, but it lacked the “it” factor—that intangible soul that keeps you coming back for “just one more round.”
I personally played it and shared some thoughts, which clearly align with the bulk of the potential playerbase. There were some solid ideas and it fetl great to play. But ultimately the moment-to-moment gameplay felt too open. The length of a match when you’re being dominated felt brutal, and the tug of war style of gameplay that it was trying to create, just didn’t quite work.
It’s a tough break for the devs, especially with layoffs already hitting the studio, but it’s a loud reminder to the industry: you can’t just buy a community with a Game Awards slot. You actually have to give them something they haven’t seen a dozen times before.
Hopefully this is a chance for Wildlight Entertainment to learn, come back stronger and with a more refined idea. There was a lot of good there in Highguard, so let’s hope it doesn’t just go to waste.
