Update 7:56 p.m. ET: Highguard developer Wildlight Entertainment has released an official statement on social media confirming the layoffs at the studio after several staff members began sharing news online that they had been let go. It did not state how many employees are affected, but this news comes after level designer Alex Graner announced he and “most of the team” were laid off, which you can read in the original version of this story below.
Wildlight also states that a “core group” of team members will continue to support Highguard, though it has not state how the rollout of its content roadmap will be affected.
Wildlight’s statement reads as follows:
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.
We’re proud of the team, talent, and the product we’ve created together. We’re also grateful for players who gave the game a shot, and those who continue to be a part of our community.
Original Story: Developer Wildlight Entertainment released its free-to-play raid shooter, Highguard, last month, on January 26, to mixed results. Now, just a few weeks after the game’s launch, most of the team has reportedly been laid off. That’s according to former Highguard level designer Alex Graner, who posted on LinkedIn today, stating, “Unfortunately, along with most of the team at Wildlight, I was laid off today.”
In Graner’s post, he says this layoff “really stings as there was a lot of unreleased content I was really looking forward to that I and others designed for Highguard.” If we take his words literally, it sounds like that content might never be released, which would be shocking but not unprecedented in this industry, which has been under constant disruption due to layoffs.
Highguard has been climbing a steep hill since its reveal as the final “world premiere” at The Game Awards 2025 back in December. Its reveal didn’t go over well with audiences, likely due to its placement as the closing spot during the awards ceremony and its difficult-to-parse style of FPS. Nonetheless, Wildlight released the game for free on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on January 26.
Game Informer Editor-in-Chief Matt Miller called it a promising contender in his Highguard review. Just last week, Game Informer covered the news of Highguard’s Episode 2 content drop, which added a ranked mode, a new hero, another map, and more.
Game Informer has reached out to Wildlight Entertainment to learn more about the layoffs Graner is referencing, how many team members were laid off, and more. This story will be updated if we learn more.
