Developer Wildlight Entertainment announced that its free-to-play multiplayer siege shooter Highguard will shut down permanently on March 12, 2026. The game launched on January 26, 2026, giving it a lifespan of just 45 days.
Since its reveal as the final world premiere at The Game Awards 2025, Highguard faced an uphill battle. The game launched with strong initial numbers but those figures rapidly declined. Despite announcing a year-long content roadmap and releasing substantial post-launch updates, Wildlight laid off the majority of its employees just weeks after launch.
Wildlight posted a message to its social channels stating that Highguard did not build a large enough player base for long-term support. The studio will release a final update before March 12 that adds a new playable Warden, a new weapon, skill trees, and account level progression.
Highguard’s 45-Day Journey
From Game Awards finale to permanent shutdown—the free-to-play shooter’s rapid decline
The Numbers Behind the Shutdown
Key metrics from Highguard’s brief time online
Timeline: From Reveal to Shutdown
Track the key events that led to Highguard’s closure, from its December 2025 reveal through the March 2026 shutdown announcement.
Player Count Decline
This visualization tracks the estimated decline in concurrent players from Highguard’s launch through its shutdown announcement. The rapid drop-off illustrates the challenge of retaining players in the competitive live-service market.
Note: Chart displays estimated concurrent player trends based on available Steam data. Console player numbers are not included.
What Led to the Shutdown
Multiple factors contributed to Highguard’s inability to sustain a player base, from pre-launch perception issues to post-launch retention challenges.
Final Update Before Closure
Wildlight is releasing one last game update for players to enjoy during the remaining days. The team expressed gratitude to the 2 million players who stepped into Highguard’s world.
What’s Included in the Final Patch
The final update adds several features that were part of the original roadmap:
- New playable Warden character
- New weapon addition
- Account level progression system
- Skill trees implementation
Full patch notes were released in early March. Players are encouraged to get final matches in before the March 12 shutdown.
For related gaming coverage, see Pokémon Presents February 2026, Resident Evil Requiem updates, and GTA 6 preorders.
The announcement covered Highguard’s permanent shutdown on March 12, 2026, after 45 days of operation. Wildlight Entertainment’s statement cited an inability to build a sustainable player base despite 2 million total players engaging with the game.
The timeline discussed the game’s journey from its December 2025 Game Awards reveal through launch-day peak concurrent players of 97,249 on Steam, followed by rapid player decline and mid-February layoffs. The final update before closure was outlined, including a new Warden, weapon, skill trees, and account progression.
The situation was compared to similar cases in the live-service market, including Concord’s two-week lifespan in 2024. Information about Wildlight Entertainment’s background and Tencent’s financial backing was referenced. For more gaming industry coverage, visit The Game Tribune.