The studio founded by former Respawn and Call of Duty developers announced massive cuts just two weeks after the launch of its free-to-play shooter Highguard
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Wildlight Entertainment studio is going through a severe internal crisis after the poor performance of its first title, Highguard. Just two weeks after its official launch, the company confirmed the dismissal of most of its staff and announced that it will keep only a core group of developers to continue providing support for the game.
The decision caused concern among both players and the industry, especially because it involves a team made up of veterans from successful franchises.
Massive cuts after a debut with high expectations
Wildlight Entertainment publicly stated that it made "an incredibly difficult decision" by letting go of a significant number of members of its team. Shortly after the announcement, several former employees confirmed on social media that they had been notified that same day.
The studio had been founded by developers with experience at companies such as Respawn Entertainment and in renowned sagas such as Call of Duty. In addition, part of the team had worked on popular titles such as Titanfall and Apex Legends, which significantly raised expectations around Highguard.
The game was strongly showcased at The Game Awards in December 2025 and was officially released on January 26. Its proposal combined team-based shooter mechanics with innovative elements such as mounts and new raid formats within the free-to-play model.
Wildlight Entertainment despide a la mayoría de su equipo tras el bajo rendimiento de Highguard
Sharp drop in players on Steam
At its debut, Highguard managed to capture the public's attention. On the Steam platform, it reached nearly 100,000 concurrent users and ranked among the most played titles of the week.
However, the initial enthusiasm faded quickly. Negative reviews began to pile up and the number of active players dropped drastically in a matter of days. Just two weeks after the launch, concurrent users fell below 5,000, and at the time the layoffs were made official, they barely hovered around 3,500.
Not even a major content update managed to reverse the downward trend, which left the studio in a delicate financial and operational situation.
Impact on the video game industry
Wildlight Entertainment despide a la mayoría de su equipo tras el bajo rendimiento de Highguard
Highguard's case once again highlights the volatility of the video game market, especially in the free-to-play segment, where player retention in the first weeks is crucial for the viability of the project.
For users, the reduction of the team may translate into slower update cycles, less content being added, and limited technical support. For the industry, it represents another example of large initial bets followed by drastic adjustments in the face of adverse results.
Wildlight Entertainment's situation reflects the tensions between the need to obtain immediate results and the building of sustainable long-term communities, a challenge that even highly experienced teams face in an increasingly competitive market.
