Highguard launches January 26 with mechanics showcase and year-one roadmap

Highguard, the free-to-play PvP raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, launches on January 26, 2026—just weeks after its reveal at The Game Awards. A launch showcase on the same day will dive into gameplay mechanics, feature full demos, and reveal the first year of content plans. The title arrives on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S amid mixed fan expectations.

Since its standout reveal trailer closing The Game Awards 2025—for more on the announcement, see prior coverage—Highguard has built anticipation as a raid shooter where players control arcane gunslingers (Wardens) battling over a mythical continent.

With launch set for January 26, 2026, Wildlight (founded by ex-developers of Apex Legends and Titanfall) will host a showcase at 10 AM PT. Expect deep dives into core mechanics like the Shieldbreaker system, comprehensive gameplay footage, and details on post-launch content.

Available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, Highguard aims to reignite the hero shooter genre's excitement seen at Apex Legends' 2019 debut. However, community sentiment remains divided, with some drawing parallels to Sony's troubled Concord and questioning its place in a crowded market.

As servers go live next week, all eyes are on whether Highguard can deliver polished, engaging PvP raids and sustain player interest.

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Illustration of Highguard game servers powering down in a data center, with shutdown notice and declining player/revenue graphs.
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Highguard raid shooter to shut down March 12 amid revenue woes and sharp player drop

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Wildlight Entertainment will shut down servers for its free-to-play multiplayer raid shooter Highguard on March 12, 2026—45 days after launch—citing insufficient revenue and failure to sustain a player base despite over 2 million users, a peak of nearly 100,000 concurrent players, and post-launch updates. A final content update is planned before closure.

Developer Wildlight Entertainment has released a new fast-paced mode for its hero shooter Highguard in an effort to retain players amid falling concurrent numbers. The update arrives as the game faces challenges following its recent launch and subsequent layoffs at the studio. Raid Rush eliminates the looting phase to focus on direct base raids.

Reported by AI

Free-to-play shooter Highguard from Wildlight Entertainment closes on March 12, 2026—making today, March 11, the final day—following last week's shutdown announcement amid layoffs, Tencent funding withdrawal, and ongoing performance woes. Available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, the game saw player counts drop to double digits last week after a troubled launch.

Wildlight Entertainment released The Farewell Tour, the final update for its short-lived hero shooter Highguard, on March 4, 2026—days before servers shut down on March 12. Developed by a voluntary skeleton crew, it adds account-wide progression, a new skill tree, the Switchback weapon, and playable Warden Koldo.

Reported by AI

A laid-off developer from Wildlight Entertainment's Highguard has deleted a social media post criticizing toxic reactions to the game after its reveal and launch. Josh Sobel, who worked on the multiplayer shooter, faced backlash for suggesting that online negativity contributed to its poor reception. The post, shared shortly after studio layoffs, highlighted the immediate hate following the Game Awards 2025 trailer.

Microsoft has announced a new wave of games for Xbox Game Pass, including the Complete Edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on February 19 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II on March 3. The lineup also features Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and other titles available from today. Several games will leave the service at the end of February.

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