As a new raid PvP shooter from the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall, Highguard was supposed to be the new great hope on the horizon. No less than 3 weeks after the release, the first layoffs are already happening.
Who was fired? On LinkedIn, the level designer of Highguard, Alex Graner, talks about the layoffs at the developer team of Wildlight. He reports that he has been laid off along with most of the team.
The level designer does not disclose which other developers were affected by the layoffs. However, he mentions that it particularly hurts him that there are so many unreleased contents:
This really hurts because there was a lot of unreleased content that I was really looking forward to and that I and others had designed for Highguard.
Whether these contents will ever be released remains unclear with his statement.
Finally, he writes that he would look forward to the next steps in his life. He appeals to those who need an experienced level designer and posts his portfolio, which outlines what he has accomplished in the AAA sector over the past 7 years.
Highguard had a bumpy start
Why are layoffs happening now? In the message from the level designer himself, there is no information on why a large part of the team was laid off. However, it had already become apparent beforehand that most players were not even aware of the shooter.
Highguard did not rely on marketing, but on the element of surprise. After the announcement at the Game Awards, there was no information about the shooter. Players were so desperate that they even scoured the trophies from PS5 for hints about the game.
Nevertheless, the developers believed in the element of surprise, which had also worked with Apex Legends. The players who had played the shooter are mostly satisfied. However, many others may have overlooked the hero shooter.
What’s next? Whether Highguard will last long remains to be seen. So far, there are no official statements regarding the mass layoffs and whether the plan for the free shooter has changed. Patience is required here.
If Highguard is indeed discontinued, it would be bad news for MeinMMO author Cedric Holmeier. He has uninstalled 3 other shooters and completely lost himself in Highguard. Why the game does everything better than any other shooter can be read here: After a round in Highguard on Steam, I can uninstall 3 other shooters
