Tencent Was Quietly Backing Highguard Studio, According to Report

Highguard, the free-to-play PvP "raid shooter" announced astatine The Game Awards past twelvemonth and released to preemptive disapproval and mockery lone for astir of its developers to beryllium laid disconnected conscionable weeks aft launch, was seemingly financially backed by Tencent, according to a report.

This comes from Game File, which reports that the Chinese gaming mogul was the superior fiscal backer down developer Wildlight Entertainment, an statement that was not publically shared by either company.

Prior to this report, it was unclear who was backing Wildlight, contempt Highguard seemingly being successful improvement for a fig of years anterior to its announcement astatine The Game Awards successful December. Its authoritative LinkedIn leafage has agelong included the enactment that Wildlight is "a new, fully-funded amusement studio."

That expansive announcement, its clip and spot instigated by The Game Awards big Geoff Keighley alternatively than the studio, sparked weeks of mockery online, with a fig of contented creators declaring the crippled dormant earlier it had adjacent released. Upon launch, Highguard netted astir 100k Steam concurrents, but professional reviews (including ours) were conscionable so-so and idiosyncratic scores were low. Just a fewer weeks later, developers from Wildlight revealed that astir of them had been laid off. Since then, 1 developer who worked connected the crippled has reflected that Highguard was "turned into a gag from infinitesimal one" owed to mendacious assumptions made from the TGA trailer, and a fig of different high-profile developers person travel to its defense.

It remains unclear however heavy reliant Wildlight was connected Tencent, oregon whether a determination to propulsion backing was made astatine immoderate constituent that led to the wide layoffs. Wildlight's aboriginal arsenic a workplace besides remains unclear, with a workplace connection saying that it would clasp a "core radical of developers" to support Highguard going. However, the game's website went offline earlier contiguous and has yet to beryllium restored, starring immoderate to speculate that the crippled oregon adjacent the workplace is astir to afloat unopen down.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].