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.

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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.

In a recent podcast, Highguard's senior level designer Alex Graner detailed why the game's initial 3v3 mode alienated casual players, as Wildlight Entertainment fully shifts to 5v5 formats like Raid Rush following funding cuts from Tencent and layoffs reducing the team to around 20.

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Josh Sobel, a former technical artist at Wildlight Entertainment, has reactivated his X account after deactivating it last month amid backlash from a post about Highguard's failure. He stands by the intent of his original comments but regrets the poor phrasing, attributing it to stress following the game's shutdown announcement. Highguard, a 3v3 live-service hero shooter, is set to go offline on March 12, 2026—45 days after its January 26 launch.

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