Highguard studio lays off most staff weeks after launch

Wildlight Entertainment laid off "most" of its team just weeks after Highguard launched on January 26, according to posts from employees. Level designer Alex Graner posted on LinkedIn saying he and many colleagues were let go, noting unreleased content he had worked on and that he is looking for his next role.

Highguard was announced in December at the 2025 Game Awards and faced a mixed reception online. The studio stayed largely silent for weeks before the game’s late-January launch; press and creators got hands-on time, and response to the final release was lukewarm.

Wildlight moved quickly to address feedback about the game's small 3v3 team sizes, adding a 5v5 mode within the first week. Director Chad Grenier told Polygon the team cared more about making something players enjoyed than chasing large player counts: "Whether it gets a thousand people or a hundred million people, it doesn’t matter.

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