Highguard layoffs hit 'most' developers at Wildlight Entertainment

Wildlight Entertainment has confirmed layoffs affecting an unspecified number of developers working on free-to-play shooter Highguard, according to a company statement. The cuts come weeks after designer Alex Graner claimed on LinkedIn that 'most' of the team had been laid off, highlighting the mounting challenges facing new live service games in an increasingly competitive market.

A pattern of live service struggles

'Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to part ways with a number of our team members while keeping a core group of developers to continue innovating on and supporting the game,' Wildlight said in a statement to VGC. 'We're proud of the team, talent, and the product we've created together.'

The layoffs follow a dramatic decline in Highguard's player base since its January 26 launch. The game initially attracted nearly 100,000 concurrent players on Steam and entered the top 20 games in weekly active users on both US PlayStation and Xbox platforms, according to Circana. However, by February, concurrent players had dropped to fewer than 5,000 despite a recent content update.

The situation mirrors other recent live service game failures, as studios struggle to compete with established titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty. The gaming industry has seen widespread cuts, with companies including Ubisoft and Meta making significant layoffs in recent months.

What the company isn't saying

Wildlight's statement notably avoids specifying how many employees were affected or providing details about the game's performance metrics. The company, which includes veterans from Respawn who worked on Apex Legends and Titanfall, has over 100 employees according to LinkedIn.

Designer Alex Graner, who previously worked on Apex Legends and Battlefield 6, announced his layoff on LinkedIn Wednesday. 'Unfortunately, along with most of the team at Wildlight, I was laid off today,' he wrote. 'This one really stings as there was a lot of unreleased content I was really looking forward to that I and others designed for Highguard.'

Audio director Brad Snyder and producer Amélia Almeida also shared the post, suggesting the cuts were indeed extensive. What remains unclear is how the reduced team will deliver the year of post-launch content Wildlight had previously detailed.

High-stakes gamble falls short

Highguard, announced at December's The Game Awards, combined FPS mechanics with rideable mounts and 'raid' mechanics where teams breach each other's bases. The game launched just last week's second 'episode' with new maps and items, suggesting development continued despite internal challenges.

Speaking to Polygon before launch, studio head Chad Grenier had downplayed concerns about player numbers. 'Whether it gets a thousand people or a hundred million people, it doesn't matter. What matters most is that the game is loved by the people who played it,' he said.

CEO Dusty Welch had dismissed 'shooter fatigue' concerns, telling Polygon: 'The metrics, the data shows there's more play time with more monetization happening… Shooters as a category continue to be the rocket fuel that propels the gaming space.'

The reality proved different. With millions in investment required for live service games and their post-launch roadmaps, new launches face enormous risk. Sony's Concord, shut down two weeks after launch despite significant PlayStation investment, remains the most notable recent failure in the space.

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