Sudden Staff Reductions Follow Game's Debut, Raising Questions About Studio Viability
Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind the recently released multiplayer shooter Highguard, has made significant staff reductions just two weeks after the game's debut. The layoffs, confirmed by the studio, have impacted an unspecified number of employees across various development roles. This action raises questions about the game's immediate post-launch performance and the studio's future plans.
Timeline of Events
Highguard was released on January 26th for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Initial press previews were largely positive, with some outlets noting a unique approach to the genre. Despite a strong initial showing in player engagement on PC and across consoles, numbers reportedly declined sharply in the subsequent weeks. On February 11th, news began to emerge from former employees and was later confirmed by Wildlight Entertainment regarding substantial layoffs within the company. The studio stated it had made the "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."
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Player Engagement and Initial Reception
Highguard launched as a free-to-play title, a common strategy for multiplayer games aiming for broad player adoption.
On its release day, Highguard reached a peak of 97,249 concurrent players on PC via Steam, according to SteamDB.
It also entered the top 20 games in weekly active users on both US PlayStation and Xbox platforms, as tracked by Circana.
However, concurrent PC player numbers dropped significantly to around 3,600-4,524 by the time the layoffs were announced, approximately two weeks after launch.
Studio Confirmation and Employee Accounts
Wildlight Entertainment officially confirmed the layoffs via a statement on their X/Twitter account.
"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."
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This statement was echoed by former employees, including Alex Graner, a senior level designer at Wildlight, who posted on LinkedIn:
"Unfortunately, along with most of the team at Wildlight, I was laid off today."
The exact number of employees laid off has not been officially disclosed. However, reports suggest that "most of the team" has been affected, and the studio's LinkedIn page indicated a size of 51-200 employees prior to the reductions. The layoffs appear to have spanned across disciplines, including gameplay engineers, software engineers, and UI designers.
Post-Launch Content Plans and Uncertainty
Wildlight had outlined an ambitious content roadmap for Highguard, detailing plans for monthly updates throughout the year with new items, modes, and characters presented in seven separate "episodes."
The studio released its second 'episode', featuring new maps and items, just last week.
The extent to which these layoffs will affect the execution of this content roadmap remains unclear. Wildlight has stated its commitment to continuing game support.
Comparisons to Concord
The swiftness of the layoffs and the game's sharp decline in player numbers have drawn parallels to the performance of Sony's multiplayer shooter Concord.
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Concord was taken off sale just two weeks after its release due to poor player engagement.
Highguard's player count decline within a similar timeframe has led some observers to note this similarity.
Expert Analysis and Industry Context
Industry analysts have noted the challenging market for new multiplayer shooter titles.
Mat Piscatella from Circana highlighted the discrepancy between Highguard's initial strong player engagement metrics and the subsequent layoffs, posing a question about the underlying economic factors.
The free-to-play model is often adopted to quickly build a player base, but sustaining engagement and monetization over time is critical for long-term success.
The rapid pace of content delivery planned by Wildlight suggests a strategy reliant on consistent player retention, which may have been jeopardized by the player count drop.
Conclusion and Implications
The layoffs at Wildlight Entertainment represent a significant event for the studio and its game, Highguard, occurring mere weeks after its launch. While the studio has confirmed its commitment to ongoing support, the reduction in staff raises critical questions about the game's player base, its economic viability, and the feasibility of its ambitious post-launch content plans. The studio's ability to retain and grow its player community moving forward will be a key indicator of its long-term prospects.
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BBC News: Highguard layoffs confirmed two weeks after game's release
IGN: Most of Highguard Studio Has Been Laid Off Says Former Dev, Wildlight Confirms Cuts
PC Gamer: 16 days after Highguard's launch, the studio has laid off 'most of the staff'
VGC: Designer claims ‘most’ of Highguard’s dev team have been laid off, weeks after launch
GamesRadar+: Highguard dev hit with mass layoffs as "most of the team at Wildlight" is let go
Polygon: Highguard developer Wildlight Entertainment lays off staff just two weeks after release
The Verge: Highguard’s developer reportedly lays off ‘most’ of its staff just over two weeks after launch
Game Informer: UPDATE: Highguard Developer Wildlight Entertainment Confirms Layoffs At The Studio
