Highguard Struggles to Survive After Massive Player Exodus

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Highguard, a new game developed by Wildlight, has faced a massive player exodus, losing 98.5% of its concurrent players on Steam within just three weeks of launch. Despite this, the game's developer has decided to keep a core team of developers to continue supporting and updating the game, even after laying off the majority of its studio. Experts question how the game can possibly survive with such a drastic decline in its player base and revenue.

Why it matters

The Highguard situation highlights the challenges facing game developers in the modern era, where player retention and monetization are crucial for a game's long-term success. The rapid decline of Highguard's player base raises questions about the viability of the game's business model and the developer's decision-making process, as well as the broader implications for the gaming industry.

The details

Highguard launched around three weeks ago with a promising 97,000 concurrent players on Steam. However, within just two weeks, the game had lost 98.5% of its player base, dropping to a peak of only 1,600 concurrent players. Despite this massive decline, the developer, Wildlight, decided to lay off the majority of its studio while keeping a core group of developers to continue supporting the game. A day after the layoffs, the game received a bug and balance patch, indicating that the developer is still committed to updating and improving the game.

• Highguard launched around three weeks ago.
• Six days ago, on February 11, Wildlight announced layoffs of the majority of its studio.
• Since the layoffs were announced six days ago, Highguard has lost another 55% of its peak concurrent players on Steam.

What’s next

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