Kinda Funny Games Daily – February 17, 2026

Episode: Is This It For Highguard?
Hosts: Blessing Adeoye Jr. & Snowbike Mike
Date: February 17, 2026

Overview

Today's episode focuses on the alarming signs surrounding the live-service shooter Highguard, with the hosts analyzing whether its recent website outage is merely a hiccup or indicative of imminent shutdown after a rocky launch and early layoffs. They also cover topics like Steam Deck hardware shortages, the closure of Atomic Arcade (makers of the canceled GI Joe/Snake Eyes game), and more, mixing in personal gaming updates, community questions, and characteristic banter.

Main Topic: Is This It For Highguard?

(Timestamps reference MM:SS)

[10:36] Story #1 – Highguard’s Website Is Down & Community Fallout

• Initial Report:

  • The Highguard website went offline, only displaying a logo and a message: "this site is currently unavailable."
  • This happened roughly at 4:50am PST, and by air time, the site was still down.
  • No official statement from Wildlight Entertainment.

• Context:

  • Highguard launched just weeks ago after being announced at The Game Awards.
  • Already suffered major layoffs and poor player engagement, with only around 1,000 concurrent Steam players (24h peak was 1,600).

• Reaction & Analysis:

  • Mike: “It’s probably not a good sign. No, this is...we laid off such and such, we forgot that Brad was in charge of the websites.” [12:30]
  • Both hosts mention that website outages (unlike game servers) don’t usually impact players directly, but in a live service title, it feels symptomatic of deeper problems.
  • Signs of life elsewhere (e.g., social media, YouTube channel) are sparse; last tweet was 4 days prior and last YouTube upload 9 days ago.
  • Speculation that layoffs included web/admin staff and that “cutting the lights” has begun.

• Player Numbers & Monetization:

  • As a free-to-play title with generous reward structure, monetization depended almost entirely on cosmetics.
  • Concerns expressed about the viability of the model with so few players: “When you look at that 1,078 people that are playing right now on Steam, how many of those are buying the cosmetics?” [16:48]
  • Mike summarizes the bleak scenario: “Usually teams, when this happens... it’s like, hey, the boat is sinking—we’re going to shut down in three to six months. ...Just take all the bundles...it’s over now.” [17:06]

[18:03] Can Highguard Be Saved?

• Blessing: “Is there any way to turn this around?”

• Mike, bluntly: “No, there will be nothing to turn this around. Unfortunately, the player mentality and sentiment towards this game have already been dug in deep.” [18:03]

• Discussion:

  • Both hosts recount attending the game’s preview, recalling how promising its content roadmap and live support sounded—but that the live audience simply never materialized.
  • The “raid shooter” concept didn’t resonate broadly, and the gameplay loop felt too slow or unclear to hook users vs. the many FPS/TPS alternatives.
  • Blessing notes: “It just does not have the resonance that you wanted. It doesn’t have the stickiness for people.” [19:53]
  • Mike: “It was a good attempt at trying something new and fresh by blending all of the kind of key attributes of video games that you know and love together...but they weren’t the master of anything.” [20:08]
  • Overwatch, Arc Raiders, and other big service games drowned out Highguard’s brief launch window.

[22:39] What’s Next for Highguard?

• Inevitability of Shutdown:
  • The hosts agree that the next major development will be an official shutdown announcement.
  • Mike: “This game will just kind of linger around and be in the ethos until it’s finally time to say something about it.” [22:39]
  • Signs like website and social inactivity, dwindling playerbase, and layoffs suggest this is coming “sooner than we think.” [22:52]
  • Blessing: “If this is like another step toward…we’re cutting off the lights one at a time, I think this is how you handle it.” [23:01]
  • Reminder that even free games like Rematch or Knockout City faced similar fates without sustainable revenue.

[23:56] Community’s Fond Farewells

• Super Chats:
  • Fans express bittersweet feelings at losing another unique online game.
  • Example: “I still play Highguard every day. I honestly love it and a hole will be left. ...I also loved Concord.” [29:42]
  • Blessing advocates for up-front paid multiplayer games rather than only free-to-play live services.

Additional Key Stories

[40:19] Steam Deck OLED Stock Issues

• Headline: Valve warns of upcoming stock outages for the Steam Deck OLED, citing global RAM shortages from AI data center demand.
• Discussion:
  • Tim Gettys originally anticipated the crisis, and the situation is impacting all hardware timelines, possibly including console refreshes and launches.
  • Mike: “Now all of these teams, for good and bad, have time, right? [Gamers] now have time.”
  • Future of cloud gaming is debated (Mike optimistic for 20-40yrs; Blessing skeptical due to infrastructure).

[47:30] Hasbro Reportedly Closes Snake Eyes Game Studio

• Atomic Arcade (behind the unannounced GI Joe: Snake Eyes game) reportedly shut down.
• Hasbro issues a statement that the Snake Eyes game is not canceled and they're evaluating the project, but silence on the studio's fate.
• Hosts are surprised such a project existed – “Snake Eyes in an Arkham City type vibe would be very cool.” [50:14]

[53:32] PSA: Resident Evil Requiem Physical Copies Are In the Wild

• Early retail breaks mean spoilers can leak at any moment. Hosts urge fans to mute keywords and tread carefully.
• Funny aside about GTA VI’s impending launch needing literal armored cars to avoid leaks.

[57:15] We(e) News Channel – Miscellaneous Headlines

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows adds a manual jump button.
• Game Pass February Wave 2 includes: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Death Howl, EA Sports College Football 26, The Witcher 3 CE, and more.
• Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker delisted on Xbox after announcement of Master Collection Vol. 2.
• Call of Duty Warzone Mobile closing servers on April 17th.
• Virtual Boy now on Switch Online expansion pack.
• Indie doc “Six Years to Build Big Hops” out now on YouTube.

Notable Quotes & Banter

• Blessing on the rawness of his morning routine:
  • “No, the rain’s not going to stop me. Made a protein smoothie this morning. So I’m following my routine. That doesn’t always happen…” [02:32]
• Mike on Highguard website downtime:
  • “We laid off such and such, we forgot that Brad was in charge of the websites.” [12:30]
• Mike nails the slow death of live service games:
  • “Usually teams, when this happens, …the boat is sinking—we’re going to shut down...Just take all the bundles, it’s over.” [17:06]
• Blessing on Highguard’s genre struggles:
  • “I just don’t think the idea of a raid shooter resonated with people enough.” [18:47]
• Mike’s memorable idiom mangling:
  • “They had everything good, but they weren’t the master of anything. The best selling part…was the raid, the search and destroy...but that wasn’t enough.” [20:08]
• “Overwatch came through, slapped the pan off the fucking stove and said, we are done cooking. We’re cooking now.” [21:04]
• Super chatters flood in with recommendations, farewells, and local Portland food tips for Mike’s upcoming trip.
• Blessing on game preservation: “If you accidentally buy the PS3 version of Metal Gear Solid 4, that’s on you.” [60:43]

Community Q&A Highlights

• Why not offer peer-to-peer for dying multiplayer games?
  • Mike: It’s developer/resource dependent, often just not feasible at scale.
• Are these types of [service] games ‘done’?
  • Both hosts: No—the industry won’t stop chasing the next big thing, but the bar for success is sky-high.
• CliffyB’s Law: “Only room for three games in a given space”—the hosts agree it’s not always accurate, but the churn is real.

Memorable Moments

• [23:56] Chat’s recurring “raw dogging” joke about Blessing's gym routine; Bless feigns plausible deniability.
• [41:36] Speculation about next-gen console timing thrown off by RAM shortages.
• [34:24] Rumor: EA’s future FC (soccer) games might feature open-world, 2K-style “neighborhoods”.
• [67:08] Listener boasts nearly 150 hours in Highguard; hosts urge him to rush for the platinum trophy "before it’s gone".

Conclusion & Tone

This KFGD episode is a blend of serious, clear-eyed analysis of the live service market (especially Highguard’s likely demise) and the easygoing rapport of two friends mixing in gaming anecdotes, listener banter, and snackable headline rundowns. At every stage, Blessing and Mike keep things accessible, using plain language mixed with irreverent humor, providing both a chronicle and commentary for video game enthusiasts keeping up with industry currents.

For those who missed the episode, this summary covers all main discussion points, insightful moments, and illustrative quotes—no ad segments, just the news and the Kinda Funny community in action.