Latest Update (7:56 p.m. ET): Wildlight Entertainment has officially confirmed a significant reduction in force through a statement on social media. This announcement follows a wave of online posts from former staff members revealing their sudden departures. While the studio declined to specify the exact number of affected employees, the news corroborates an earlier report from level designer Alex Graner, who noted that he and the “bulk of the development team” had been let go.
Wildlight maintains that a “essential core” of the team remains to manage Highguard, though the studio has yet to clarify how this downsizing will impact the game’s previously announced content roadmap.
The studio’s official statement reads:
“Today, we reached the agonizing conclusion to part ways with several valued team members. We are moving forward with a streamlined group of developers dedicated to the ongoing support and innovation of the game. We remain incredibly proud of the talent and passion that birthed this project, and we are deeply grateful to the community that has supported us.”
Original Report: Just weeks after the January 26 debut of its free-to-play extraction shooter, Highguard, Wildlight Entertainment appears to have gutted much of its workforce. The news broke via LinkedIn, where former level designer Alex Graner shared the somber update: “Regrettably, I was laid off today, alongside the majority of the Wildlight team.”
In his post, Graner expressed deep disappointment regarding the timing, noting that he was particularly eager for players to experience a wealth of unreleased content that he and his colleagues had already designed. Given the scale of the departures, the future of that unreleased material remains uncertain—a scenario that has become distressingly common in an industry currently defined by volatility.
Highguard has faced an uphill battle since its polarizing debut as the final “world premiere” at The Game Awards 2025. The reveal initially struggled to capture the audience’s imagination, perhaps due to its complex mechanical identity and its placement at the end of a long ceremony. Despite the friction, Wildlight proceeded with a multi-platform launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Early critical impressions were cautiously optimistic, with some reviewers praising it as a “promising contender” in the crowded shooter market. In fact, only last week, the studio rolled out its Episode 2 update, which introduced a fresh hero, a new map, and the highly anticipated ranked mode.
We have contacted Wildlight Entertainment for further clarification on the scope of these layoffs and the long-term stability of the Highguard live service. This report will be updated as more information becomes available.
