Highguard is being shut down on March 12, less than two months after its late-January launch, due to layoffs, low player counts, and additional setbacks.
After a rough launch at the end of January, Highguard will be permanently shut down on March 12. The game had a tumultuous launch stemming from it being the final game announced at the 2025 Game Awards. The team was downsized less than a month after launch, and they have now decided to ultimately end support for the game.
“Despite the passion and hard work of our team, we have not been able to build a sustainable player base to support the game long term. Servers will remain online until March 12th. We hope you’ll jump in with us one more time to show your support and get those final great matches in while we still can,” a portion of the statement reads.
Highguard’s Rough Launch and Subsequent Setbacks
The game officially launched on January 26 and received mostly negative reviews on Steam from the start. The team pushed forward with additional updates, including new modes, but ultimately decided to downsize on February 11. Now, one month after that announcement, the game will shut down.
Recently, it was learned that Tencent had been financially backing the project. However, that funding was reportedly pulled because the game failed to meet certain required metrics. The game’s live player count has recently fallen to near-double-digit territory.
In the wake of the development team’s downsizing, one of the impacted technical artists spoke about the frustrations that followed the game’s launch. His full statement can be read here.
How do you feel about the ultimate end of Highguard? Did you play the game at all while it was active? Are you planning on playing during this final week? Sound off in our official Discord server. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Another win for gamers. I will now do another 100% walkthrough of Stellar Blade for this news. Next up is Marathon.