Highguard, the free-to-play player versus player raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, will officially shut down on March 12. The announcement comes just 45 days after the game launched on January 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC via Steam.
The developer shared the update through an official statement, calling it a difficult decision. According to the studio, more than two million players tried the game since launch. However, the team admitted that it could not build a sustainable player base to support the game in the long term.
Servers will remain online until March 12. The studio has also confirmed one final update before shutdown. This last patch will add a new Warden, a new weapon, account level progression, and skill trees. Full patch notes are expected soon.
The shutdown news follows internal changes at the studio. On February 11, Wildlight Entertainment confirmed layoffs, while a smaller core team stayed to continue supporting the title.
At launch, Highguard showed strong early momentum. On January 26, the game recorded nearly 97,000 concurrent players on Steam. That is an impressive number for a new free-to-play PvP shooter. However, the momentum did not last.
Within just three days, concurrent player numbers saw a sharp decline. Over the past 30 days, the game has not crossed even 10,000 concurrent players on Steam. This shows a steep and consistent drop in active engagement.
The situation was similar on streaming platforms. On launch day, Highguard reached 382,000 peak viewers with 3,491 peak streamers broadcasting the game. This level of visibility usually helps multiplayer titles build long-term traction. But within five days, viewership numbers dropped significantly. At present, the game struggles to cross even 1,000 viewers.
Highguard followed a pattern that has become common in the live service space. Strong marketing and curiosity can drive a big launch spike. However, retention is what defines survival. The successful launch confirms that there was clear interest. But the rapid decline suggests that players did not stay engaged for long.
There can be several possible reasons behind this. The PvP shooter market is already highly competitive. Established titles dominate player time and attention. New games must offer either a very polished experience or a truly unique hook to retain players.
The drop below 10,000 concurrent players within weeks indicates retention issues. When player counts fall quickly, matchmaking quality suffers. That can create a negative cycle where longer queue times and uneven matches push more players away.
active and returning users. A large number of downloads does not always convert into a stable community.
