Shocking Number of Highguard Devs Laid Off at Wildlight Entertainment in Just 1 Day
Highguard is a new FPS PvP raid shooter where players will ride, fight, and raid as Wardens on the mythical continent of Highguard. Highguard had a pretty underwhelming start when it was announced at the Game Awards last December. It debuted a few weeks ago, with mixed reviews, though it’s not necessarily struggling.
Just yesterday, Wildlight Entertainment confirmed on multiple social media platforms that hundreds of employees had been laid off at the development studio. This news comes just weeks after the game launched in full on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and here’s what the former devs have to say about this developing story.
Wildlight Entertainment Lays Off Hundreds of Employees
It’s been reported that yesterday, Wildlight Entertainment initiated a number of layoffs at the company, parting ways with many devs who have worked and have been working on the PVP shooter. The exact number of layoffs isn’t certain; however, an estimated 50-200 employees have been laid off from the company. This is a pretty serious event, given that updates on Highguard were pretty rampant, as players gave a ton of feedback since the game was released.
The devs have been pretty quick with adding content and making changes to the game to make Highguard easier and more enjoyable for players, so it’s a shame that most of Highguard Studios was laid off so abruptly. The devs also revealed a content roadmap on launch day that included updates with new items, modes, and characters each month, as well as seven separate new episodes to the storyline.
It’s not clear how these layoffs will affect the roadmap or what the studio’s plans are going forward; however, Wildlight Entertainment says it will still support Highguard, reassuring fans and players who continue to play the game. Here’s what Wildlight Entertainment posted on their X account after the reported layoffs:
“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.”
Former Devs Speak Out
After news of the layoffs hit social media, former senior-level designer for Highguard, Alex Graner, posted on LinkedIn his exiting of the company, and his thoughts on the mass layoffs. Graner explains that he, along with most of the team working on Highguard, was laid off yesterday, and that the layoffs come unexpected, given that there was a lot of unreleased content he and other devs designed for the game.
It’s unclear whether all the unreleased content will still be used going forward; however, we should expect an update on the matter pretty soon. Graner ends his message with hope for future endeavors and a post of his resume with a link to his website. Here’s Graner’s full post on his LinkedIn page:
“Unfortunately, along with most of the team at Wildlight, I was laid off today.”
“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.”
“However, I’m excited for my next adventure. If your team or anyone you know needs an experienced Level Designer, hit me up!”
Highguard is a new PVP shooter available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The game launched with mixed reviews; however, given all the feedback from players, Wildlight Entertainment has been pretty active, adding content and updating the game. The story is still developing and will be updated when more announcements are made.
