Highguard Developer Wildlight Entertainment Reportedly Lays Off Majority of Staff

Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind the recently debuted free-to-play extraction shooter Highguard, has reportedly undergone significant staff reductions. Despite the game launching only a few weeks ago on January 26, reports indicate that a large portion of the development team has been let go. The news surfaced via former level designer Alex Graner, who announced on LinkedIn that he was among those impacted by the layoffs at Wildlight.

In his post, Graner expressed his disappointment, noting that the team had already designed a wealth of unreleased content that he was excited to share with the community. His comments suggest that this planned roadmap may now be in jeopardy—a frustratingly familiar scenario in an industry currently plagued by frequent downsizing and project disruptions.

Highguard has faced a challenging path since its initial reveal as the concluding “world premiere” at The Game Awards 2025. The announcement received a polarized response, largely due to its high-pressure slot at the end of the ceremony and an aesthetic that many viewers found difficult to categorize. Nevertheless, Wildlight moved forward with a multi-platform release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC last month.

Critical feedback for the title showed promise, with some outlets describing it as a strong newcomer in the competitive shooter space. Just last week, the game saw the arrival of its Episode 2 content update, which introduced a dedicated ranked mode, a fresh hero, and a new map. The sudden news of mass layoffs casts a shadow over these recent milestones.

Requests for comment have been sent to Wildlight Entertainment to clarify the scale of these layoffs and the future of the project. We will update this story as further details emerge.

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