Key Takeaways
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- Wildlight Entertainment underwent significant layoffs, affecting several key members including Alex Graner, Brad Snyder, and Amelia Almeida, just a month after the release of their game Highguard.
- The layoffs have raised concerns about the future of planned content for Highguard beyond the second episode, potentially impacting the studios ability to maintain its content roadmap through 2026.
- Despite initial criticism and subsequent player decline within a week, Highguard reached nearly 100,000 concurrent players on Steam and ranked among the top 20 games on U.S. PlayStation and Xbox at its release.
- Wildlight Entertainment consists of developers with experience from notable titles such as Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Call of Duty, indicating a strong pedigree in the industry. Despite the layoffs, the company remains committed to innovating and supporting Highguard.
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Wildlight Entertainment laid off a significant portion of the Highguard team just a month after the game’s release on January 26th. Alex Graner, who previously worked on Apex Legends and Battlefield 6, announced on LinkedIn that he and numerous colleagues had been let go. Graner noted that the team had prepared substantial unreleased content for Highguard, with its release now uncertain. Audio director Brad Snyder and producer Amelia Almeida also confirmed the layoffs. Wildlight acknowledged the staff reductions but did not specify the number of employees affected. “Today we had to make a tough call and say goodbye to some of our team members,” the company stated. “We’re keeping a core group of devs to keep innovating and supporting the game. We’re super proud of what we’ve accomplished together as a team, and we’re grateful to all the players who’ve experienced Highguard and stuck by us.” Highguard’s announcement at The Game Awards in December was met with initial criticism. Upon release, Highguard reached nearly 100,000 concurrent players on Steam and ranked among the top 20 games on U.S. PlayStation and Xbox. However, within a week, player numbers declined to below 5,000.
Layoffs at Wildlight Entertainment Raise Concerns Over Planned Highguard Content Beyond Second Episode
California-based Wildlight Entertainment consists of developers with experience on titles such as Apex Legends, Titanfall (from Respawn Entertainment), and Call of Duty. The recent layoffs raise questions about the studio’s ability to maintain its planned content roadmap, which included new content for Highguard through 2026. A second episode featuring new maps and items has already been released.
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