Technologies

Highguard to Go Offline After Rapid Player Drop

Another live service game bites the dust.

Highguard found itself in the spotlight of the online video game discourse back in December during The Game Awards show, when host Geoff Keighley made a special introduction for the game’s trailer, which came very late in the show, a time reserved for some of the night’s biggest reveals. The next day, there were questions as to what this free-to-play multiplayer shooter from a new studio was. Now, less than two months after its release, Highguard is being shut down.

Developer Wildlight Entertainment posted on X about Highguard’s shutdown on Tuesday. The developer says it was unable to gain the player base it needed to get the game going, and it will shut down servers on March 12.

«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,» the studio said. «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.»

In his review of Highguard, CNET’s David Lumb described the game as a first-person shooter that had the lane-skirmish fighting found in multiplayer online battle arena games and base raiding mechanics found in titles like Rainbow Six: Siege. The developers described this new mash-up as a «raid shooter.» Wildlight has since acknowledged that the initial showing of the game at The Game Awards didn’t properly represent the game.

When the game was released on Jan. 26, Highguard started off strong. Nearly 100,000 people were playing the game on PC at launch, according to SteamDB. That number dropped significantly in the days that followed, and in the last week of February, it fell to slightly more than 400 a day. Things were looking bleak for Wildlight for most of February as the player count dwindled. On Feb. 11, members of the developer team posted on LinkedIn about layoffs, and the game’s website went down on Feb. 17.

«Negative press is a hard stink to clean off,» Lumb said today. «When gamers decide to hate a game, they’ll sink it, especially if it doesn’t have years of runway like No Man’s Sky.»

On the r/games subreddit, in a thread about the announcement, posters shared their problems with the game. Some pointed to dated visuals, while others said the gameplay was confusing and sorely needed refinement.

Former Wildlight developers told Bloomberg on Feb. 26 that they felt it was the «hubris» of the studio leadership that led to the game’s demise. The studio was made up of former members of the team that developed Titanfall, Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends, and they were not aware of how the gaming landscape had changed since those games were released.

Wildlight says it intends to continue updating the game. A final update will be made available sometime on Wednesday or Thursday, and it will include a new character, a new weapon, account level progression and skill trees.

Technologies

Google’s Epic Settlement Brings Fortnite Back to Google Play, Plus Broad Dev Discounts

Welcome back, Fortnite: Google is already making improvements to the Google Play Store following last year’s Epic Games settlement.

Google moved forward on Wednesday with its agreement to settle a years-long antitrust battle with Epic Games, marking a significant development for Fortnite players. While the settlement still awaits final approval, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney posted the news on X.

«Fortnite will return to Google Play Store worldwide soon,» Sweeney wrote. «Epic Games Store continues supporting Android worldwide alongside Windows and Mac, and installation on Android will become much easier later in 2026.»

A Google representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Epic Games settlement included an offer from Google to change how the Google Play Store works.

«For new installs (first-time installs from users after the new fees are launched in a region), we are reducing the in-app purchase (IAP) service fee to 20%,» Google reported on its Android Developers Blog.

That’s a significant drop from the previous 30%, which could make buying apps more affordable for customers when the change rolls out to US customers by June 30. Google is also discounting its cut of recurring subscription fees to 10%.

Even more important for long-term Google Play offerings, Google is now adding the ability for developers to offer their third-party app store payment option, sideloaded with Google’s payment method, so users will have new choices regarding the platform on which they pay.

What this means for Google Play purchases

Keep in mind, Google has only just introduced its program allowing qualified alternative app stores on Android and is still in the process of lowering fees, so changes are unlikely to be felt for several months.

When the updates do roll out, developers on Google Play — including Epic Games — will have new opportunities to save money when selling their apps, and new methods to sell that didn’t exist before. That could attract more developers to the Google Play Store and make apps easier for Android users to access. If there’s an app you’ve been wishing was available on Google Play, it’s now more likely to become available.

The changes may also lead to lower prices for customers, although that’s not guaranteed. Google is lowering its profit share, but developers will have to decide whether to pass those savings along to buyers. Fortnite fans aren’t the only ones who have something to look forward to, but it will take time to see the final effects.

Technologies

Honor’s Robot Phone Is the First of Its Kind, Integrating Robotics Into a Smartphone

Technologies

Concierge Bots, Autonomous Carts and Smart Tags: Welcome to MWC’s Airport of the Future

Your airport could someday be much more tech-infused. Here’s what that might look like.

Picture this: You’re at the airport and a robot is guiding you to your gate. You walk past another bot that’s breakdancing, to the delight (or despair) of passengers waiting for a delayed flight.

Up ahead, someone speeds along in an autonomous single-rider vehicle. Before hopping on your flight, you fill up your water bottle — which also tracks your water intake.

This scene could someday become a reality, at least in part. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, I explored an exhibit showcasing several futuristic applications looking to inject airports with a little more tech. The goal is to make the entire passenger journey, from check-in to boarding to the in-flight experience, more efficient and less stressful.

Robotics company AGiBot showed off two of its humanoids. The full-size A2 Series can help you check in for your flight and guide you around the airport. The more compact X2 series bots are designed for «entertainment.» During our demo, that meant busting out some fascinating robotic dance moves. You can currently see the bots in action at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

One of the biggest airport nightmares is dealing with lost luggage. Thankfully, trackers like the AirTag and Tile can help you keep tabs on your bag, but it’s not always easy to share location information with airlines (though that is changing). A digital baggage tag from BagID makes it easier for both passengers and airlines to know exactly where your luggage is.

When you fly with a partner airline, you can add your flight information into the BagID app, and it’ll then display the digital tag information on your BagID device. As a certified third-party accessory for Apple and Samsung, you can use Apple’s Find My and Samsung’s SmartThings Find to follow its location.

BagID uses an E Ink display and has a durable plastic casing, which should keep it in one piece as your bag is tossed around. It’s powered by a lithium ion battery that’s under 2.7Wh, to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The battery can last around one year with tracking or two years without tracking enabled. BagID costs about $238.

For anyone needing mobility assistance, Alba Ride, from autonomous micro-mobility company Alba Robot, can give them a lift. The self-driving vehicle seats one passenger and can fit a carry-on bag. It’s compact enough that weaving through airport crowds shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.

A screen on the front has an avatar that can point people in the right direction, while a larger display on the back shows ads or flight departure times. The electric vehicle’s battery can last up to 8 hours, according to the company. Alba Ride is slated to launch at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in May.

Water bottle dispensers are a staple at airports, but water supply company Aigues de Barcelona wants to help you track your hydration levels. Using custom bottles with NFC chips embedded in the lid, you can scan the bottle at one of the company’s dispensers, and then track your water intake in an accompanying app. You’ll also see how much plastic you’ve saved and the reduced carbon footprint. Aigues de Barcelona has installed the dispensers in some venues and sports arenas, but has yet to arrive in airports.

Once you’re onboard your flight, aircraft manufacturer Airbus wants to make mealtime services more efficient, too. It’s developing an app that can keep better track of how much food has been eaten on a flight by allowing attendants to scan anything — including snacks, meals and drinks — using an AI-enabled camera. That can help reduce waste on future flights by allowing teams to analyze how much food was served and how much was left over. And if a passenger has an allergy, the crew can quickly check the ingredients through the app as well.

Judging by this exhibit, automation and robotics could reshape how we get around both on the ground and in the skies. Hopefully, without too many breakdancing robots.