"Developers at Wildlight Entertainment were very open about Highguard's development back when it launched last month. Everything except where the money to make it came from. A week after mass layoffs at the studio, it's come out that the source of funding for the hero shooter's four-year development cycle may have been Chinese conglomerate Tencent. That's according to a new report by Game File."
"Wildlight was cofounded by ex-Respawn Entertainment veterans who worked on Titanfall and Apex Legends. But unlike many recent startups which happily publicize their investment backers, Wildlight has kept that fact a secret. When pressed about the studio's funding last month by Bloomberg, CEO Dusty Welch said, "We don't really speak publicly about the business, and the economics and the financials of our company.""
"As Game File points out, it's unclear why the relationship has been kept secret. Tencent is no stranger to investing in Western game studios and companies. It has billions in holdings across companies big and small, from Larian Studios and FromSoftware to Epic Games and Ubisoft. Usually these are just partial financial stakes. In Wildlight's case, TiMi appears to have been the primary backer."
Wildlight Entertainment developed the hero shooter Highguard over four years while keeping its funding sources undisclosed. New information links primary backing to Tencent studio group TiMi, known for Honor of Kings and Delta Force, rather than only partial investment. The studio, cofounded by ex-Respawn developers, conducted mass layoffs last week. Highguard has lost over 95 percent of PC concurrent players since launch, while console numbers remain unknown. As a free-to-play shooter, the game relies entirely on microtransactions for skins and battle passes, which players are less likely to buy amid doubts about the game's longevity. Wildlight has not provided an updated roadmap.
Read at Kotaku
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