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Highguard Implodes and John Wick Returns [Nerfed.ai]

/ 09:03/E970
This week on Nerfed.ai, Vanessa Calderon and Marcus Shaw break down a chaotic week in the gaming industry. The headline story is the shocking implosion of Highguard, the hero shooter from Wildlight Entertainment. Despite a massive marketing push at The Game Awards, the studio has reportedly laid off most of its staff just over two weeks after launch. Vanessa and Marcus discuss the mixed reception and the brutal reality of the current live-service landscape. The drama continues with Ubisoft, where over 1,200 employees across Paris and Milan have taken to the streets in a three-day strike protesting return-to-office mandates and lack of pay increases. On a brighter note, the duo covers the surprise announcement of an AAA Untitled John Wick Game from Saber Interactive, featuring Keanu Reeves, and Krafton's ambitious new open-world RPG, Project Windless. It's a week of high-stakes industry shifts, labor movements, and massive reveals that show just how volatile the 2026 gaming market has become. Marcus provides the technical breakdown of the Mass Technology in Project Windless while Vanessa delivers her trademark wit on the corporate restructuring at Ubisoft.

The gaming world is currently in a state of absolute whiplash, and Vanessa Calderon is here to cut through the corporate gaslighting. This week’s Nerfed.ai episode dives deep into the Highguard disaster, where Wildlight Entertainment effectively dismantled its team only sixteen days post-launch. We’re also tracking the massive labor push at Ubisoft, as over a thousand workers strike against rigid office mandates and stagnant wages. It isn't all gloom, though, as Marcus Shaw brings the hype for the newly announced AAA John Wick project and Krafton’s gorgeous Project Windless. Whether it is studio drama or trailer drops, we have the pulse on everything happening in the industry right now during this wild 2026 season.

Topics Covered

  • 📉 Highguard's Instant Speedrun: Analyzing how Wildlight Entertainment went from a splashy Game Awards reveal to laying off most of the staff in just two weeks.
  • 🪧 The Ubisoft Walkouts: Inside the three-day international strike as 1,200 developers push back against return-to-office mandates and zero pay raises.
  • 🔫 The Baba Yaga in AAA: Saber Interactive announces a single-player John Wick game with Keanu Reeves reprising the role for some high-octane gun-fu.
  • 🦅 Project Windless Revealed: A look at Krafton’s new open-world RPG based on The Bird That Drinks Tears, featuring massive real-time battles.

Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human reviewed. View our AI Transparency Policy at NeuralNewscast.com.

Highguard Implodes and John Wick Returns [Nerfed.ai]

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