Neither TiMi Studio Group, nor parent company Tencent has provided any statement about the studio’s closure over the weekend.

When the founding of TiMi Montreal was announced, the studio was described as working on a new AAA title that would also include elements of open-world games as well as live-service titles. The project was being worked on alongside TiMi Seattle.

Considering the timing of this studio’s opening, as well as it being the third North American studio opened up under the TiMi Studio Group banner, it could be seen as part of the wave of post-pandemic investments we saw from many Chinese tech companies at the time. The gaming industry as a whole was seeing a boom thanks to lockdowns, which led to quite a bit of money flowing freely from several major gaming companies.

The closure of TiMi Montreal could be seen as a sign of Tencent slowly starting to pull back on its investments into Western game development studios. Short of an actual comment by the company, however, this is ultimately just speculation.

Fellow Chinese gaming giant NetEase had also been seen as slowly pulling back on its investments in Western game development companies around the same time last year. At the time, venture capital firm F4 Fund founder David Kaye had spoken about “the whims of certain CEOs,” referring to NetEase, and geopolitical tensions leading to investments being pulled.

“China is in retreat: geopolitical tensions, some big bets not paying off, and the whims of certain CEOs mean that a massive pullback has begun,” said Kaye. “One MAJOR strategy that has made dozens of investments in the past several years is reportedly pulling the plug and divesting ALL investments outside China. Some will likely find buyers. Others will not be so lucky.”

In its own comment, NetEase had noted that it wasn’t pulling out all of its investments, pointing to hero shooter Marvel Rivals and sci-fi survival game Once Human as its success stories.

“As far as overseas business efforts are concerned, NetEase has not wavered in its global expansion plans,” said NetEase in a statement. “Our ‘two-pronged’ approach, proposed in 2022 (combining self-research and investments to explore overseas markets), is still actively progressing and yielding positive results.”

“For titles developed by the self-owned studios, we successfully launched games like Once Human and Marvel Rivals in 2024. These projects demonstrate NetEase’s ability, along with our talented development teams, to produce high-quality games loved by players worldwide.”

For what it’s worth, Marvel Rivals has proven to be quite successful since its launch, and has also seen continued support through post-launch seasonal updates introducing new maps and playable characters to the shooter from across the Marvel multiverse.

The funding seemingly came from the TiMi Studio Group, and was noted as being “the undisclosed lead financial backer” for the studio. Interestingly workers at the studio also seemed to be unaware of this money coming in, with the report noting that it was “one of several mysteries swirling around the studio”. The financial support didn’t involve any stakes in Wildlight Entertainment itself, however, with the report also stating that the studio is “technically independent and not part of TiMi.”

The studio was hit by lay-offs earlier this month owing to the negativity surrounding the PvP raid shooter. While the exact number of employees affected wasn’t revealed, the studio said in a statement that it is maintaining a small team that will continue the game’s development.

“Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to part ways with a number of our team members while keeping a core group of developers to continue innovating on and supporting the game,” wrote the developer. “We’re proud of the team, talent, and the product we’ve created together. We’re also grateful for players who gave the game a shot, and those who continue to be a part of our community.”

One former developer—technical artist and rigger Josh Sobel—wrote a lengthy post discussing the title’s unveiling, launch, and the negativity surrounding it. Sobel also referred to Wildlight Entertainment as being “our independent, self-published, dev-led studio,” which indicates that, despite its financial investments, Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group didn’t seem to have any creative control over the development of Highguard.

Things have been looking more dire for Highguard. Despite it having hit a peak of almost 100,000 concurrent players on PC (via SteamDB) at its launch, it has since struggled to hang on to even a tenth of its player base. At the time of publishing, the PvP raid shooter saw a 24-hour peak of 1,507 players, and over the previous week, has been struggling to hit the 3,000 mark.

The future of Highguard has also been recently called into question, since the website has been unavailable all day. The studio itself hasn’t made any comment about its website being down, with its last social media post being the announcement of lay-offs from February 12th. The game’s social media account hasn’t done much since that day after having published patch notes either.

Highguard was launched on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in January after having previously been revealed through a show-closing trailer at The Game Awards 2025. The unveiling was quite controversial, with even studio co-founder Chad Grenier referring to it as having been “maybe a little risky” in hindsight. Since then, however, Wildlight has continued to release updates for the game, including a major Episode 2 patch earlier this month.

Coming to PC and consoles, Honor of Kings: World was announced in 2001 and sees players embarking on a new story in the MOBA’s universe. As a Jixia Academy student, you’ll encounter various heroes and venture through the world, encountering various dangers and learning more about “the Flow.” Combat is real-time, and players can switch between two unique fighting styles.

While the general public won’t get their hands on it anytime soon, Gamescom attendees can play the action RPG for the first time at Hall 9, Booth B040 from August 20th to 24th on PC. For even more gameplay, head here. It’s also worth noting that despite co-op support, Honor of Kings: World is playable solo with AI companions.

When asked about the same, he replied, “You can if you want. We actually provide quite a lot of a single-player experience. It’s an option. We provide a non-invasive multiplayer experience for you. At some point, it’s always convenient to play with others. Let’s say that you feel like a boss fight is too difficult. As a player, you can always call for help, but it’s not going to be disruptive.”

Matchmaking with similarly ranked players is available when heading into a dungeon, though it’s unknown if there are any restrictions. Of course, you can also bring in AI companions, which Simon describes as an “assistant function.”

“If you can’t find a friend or just want to play alone, then there are options for AI companions in the dungeons or stuff like that. So it’s more like an accessible assistant function to that.” It’s unknown if you can temporarily recruit other players’ characters as support units with the AI controlling them.

Amid all the new details, Honor of Kings: World still lacks a release date, with the development team “working really hard to bring it online as soon as possible.” Private playtests are ongoing, and the title is coming to consoles and PC. Stay tuned for more details, and check out the latest trailer here.

TiMi Studio Group has confirmed a behind-closed-doors playtest for registered media members. The official website is also live, outlining different locations in Jixia, including the Tower of Enlightenment in Jixia Academy, the Springbrook Plains with its ancient ruins and wetlands, and the mountains.

There are also more dangerous places like Dragon Valley (which gets its name from the remains of a giant dragon) and Caelumpila Ruinsaa, previously a soldier enhancement facility with untold secrets.

It’s all very intriguing, though time will tell if we’re any closer to a release. Stay tuned for potential updates in the coming days, and check out more gameplay here.

Previously slated for Q1 2025, game director Shadow Guo recently confirmed in a Q&A video that the Xbox and PlayStation versions “need more time.” “The console version is shaping up nicely, but we feel that the overall user experience, especially player input, including controller balance and interaction compatibility, hasn’t yet met our standards.”

Since the team wants to avoid an unpolished release, it’s spending more time “fine-tuning the console build.” There’s no ETA on their launch, but Guo said a console roadmap would be provided “in the future.”

In the meantime, PC players can look forward to the addition of the Kill Cam in the next season. Select maps will also receive night versions alongside “new content” tailored for the same. Guo also promised more “optimizations and improvements” this year, with the next developer livestream to reveal additional details.

For more details on Delta Force, check out our review of its early access version. You can also learn more about the Black Hawk Down campaign here.

Though it’s playable solo, the developer advises co-op play with three other players. Each chooses a class and loadout before jumping in, starting with urban warfare and eventually taking point. Mild spoilers are available for what each chapter entails, but much like the film, a friendly chopper goes down, and it’s your job to save them.

The Black Hawk Down campaign launches on February 21st at 7 PM PST. Check out the launch trailer below for a brief look at the campaign. Delta Force is available on PC, though it’s also in development for Xbox, PlayStation, iOS, and Android. Check out our review of the open beta version.

The story isn’t just a reimagining of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down’s campaign but Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-winning film from 2001. The developer promises a “definitive retelling” of the incident, designed “from the ground up” for “next-level immersion.” It will be playable solo and in co-op with others. Expect further details in the coming weeks.

Delta Force currently offers Warfare and Operations, the former bringing Battlefield-esque Operators, 64-player matches, and vehicles across five maps. The latter focuses more on PvEvP across separate maps, as players work alone or with up to two others to shoot, loot, and scoot (ideally before dying). As they level up, more equipment becomes available alongside more challenging difficulties.

Check out our review of Delta Force’s open beta here. TiMi Studio Group hasn’t indicated how long it will last or when it will launch for Xbox, PlayStation, iOS and Android, so stay tuned for updates.

There are two modes available currently – Warfare and Operations. The former contains five large maps supporting up to 64 players with vehicles. You can choose from different Operators divided into roles and an extensive line-up of customizable weapons. Different modes mix things up significantly, whether you’re fighting in a single sector or going all out with vehicles.

Operations is an extraction shooter mode where squads of three players deploy into maps, pick up loot (including weapons), and attempt to extract without dying. AI combatants, including bosses, present threats, but you must also deal with other players after your loot. On top of traditional extraction maps, there’s a Raid focused more on co-op PvE with progressively more challenging stages.

You can read our review for more details. Delta Force will also launch for consoles, iOS, and Android down the line, though a release window hasn’t been revealed.

While Tom Clancy’s once-future soldiers went open-world in titles like Ghost Recon Wildlands and Breakpoint, Delta Force opts for a different approach – bargain bin Battlefield, circa 2042. Such are the bargains that it’s entirely free-to-play and opts for large-scale PvP warfare where two sides compete to capture sectors on a map a la Conquest. There’s a ton it successfully embodies including the Operators and their separation into roles, the myriad of vehicles, right down to the squads – yet it seemingly lacks the soul.

"I’m not too keen on the Operators’ designs. Shepherd, Uluru, and Vyron come across well enough, but D-Wolf is skirting credulity, while Hackclaw and Luna come across as characters you’d see in mobile shooters."

Delta Force isn’t a bad game, though, providing a decent alternative for those who want a break from Battlefield 2042. The amount of polish is also surprising, especially with the solid performance. However, the magic DICE’s franchise manufactured over all its years on the market feels like just that, lacking any organic agency.

As it launches into open beta worldwide, Delta Force features two modes – Warfare and Operations. The former is a 64-player mode, where two teams of 32 players (divided further into multiple squads of four) assail different sectors on the map. There are variants available – like Blitz, where there’s no base respawn, and Siege, consisting of a single sector with multiple points and each team having limited tickets. I spent most of my time in Hill of Iron, a King of the Hill variant where your M1A4s, LAV-AAs, Assault Helicopters, and more were commonplace, but the goal to capture and hold various sectors remained the same.

When hopping into a match, you can choose from eight Operators divided into four roles – Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon. Engineers can repair vehicles and cut through fences with a welding gun; Assault has faster movement speed and makes for stronger infantry; and so on. Three Operators were locked from the outset, but they each bring unique abilities to the table. For example, Luna’s Detection Arrow can scout out an area and detect any hostiles nearby.

And that’s all well and good, but I’m not too keen on the Operators’ designs. Shepherd, Uluru, and Vyron come across well enough, but D-Wolf is skirting credulity, while Hackclaw and Luna come across as characters you’d see in mobile shooters. The fact that they have cheesy lines also doesn’t help, like Luna saying her enemies will get shafted. Get it? Because arrows have shafts. It’s even more humorous since you’ll likely never kill an enemy in PvP with an arrow.

"The Battlefield bones are solid and reliable, even with the lack of destructible environments as a non-factor. A campaign is in the works, but there’s no indication of its arrival."

Beyond abilities and somewhat annoying personalities, each role can only access certain weapons. If you want to take down vehicles on foot, Engineers with Stingers and AT4s are a must. The weapon variety is otherwise fairly robust, with a decent array of assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, and whatnot, each customizable with different attachments. Sound design, especially weapon noise, could use a bit more oomph but otherwise, the weapons provide enough of a responsive kick.

Each map visually looks quite good, with Ascension and its rock lands – including a prominent vantage point for snipers – standing out compared to Threshold’s extensive pine forests. Texture quality and atmospherics are pretty decent, with performance steady even with extensive chaos, be it aerial bombardments or tanks rolling through and helicopters soaring overhead (even if some pop-in is occasionally noticeable). I’m a bit divided on the overall design, though. They flow well enough and offer distinct points of interest, whether you’re scaling the giant rock or navigating through the tunnels on Ascension, but they feel a little too plain at times.

It’s all the better for rolling through with vehicles, even if I couldn’t figure out the helicopter controls for the life of me. However, Rushing an objective with little time left and annihilating everyone with an LAV-G1 can feel very good. Though vehicles can feel oppressive (and not just because of the mode variant), there are options for counter-play, including mounted AA guns for helicopters. While the current selection whelmed more than anything, several others will be available at launch, so I’ll reserve some judgment.

Overall, Warfare is solid – not especially amazing, but not completely throwaway. The Battlefield bones are solid and reliable, even with the lack of destructible environments as a non-factor. A campaign is in the works, but there’s no indication of its arrival. That leaves Operations, an unorthodox mix of PvE and PvEvP, which is more than a little inspired by Escape from Tarkov.

"The injury system also takes a page out of Tarkov’s book with an injury system, where body parts can be broken, max health reduced, and vision blurred, and different items are necessary to deal with them all."

I say unorthodox because, from the outset, you have maps to face off against AI combatants to extract loot while also dealing with other players (solo or in a squad). The cheesiness is apparent once more as your commanding officer tells you to “shoot, loot and time to scoot” regarding the gameplay loop. If you die, everything is lost.

The injury system also takes a page out of Tarkov’s book with an injury system, where body parts can be broken, max health reduced, and vision blurred, and different items are necessary to deal with them all. There are missions to complete, and depending on the materials, you can upgrade different departments back at your base to unlock new items.

Though I mostly spent time on Space City, the map is pretty robust, with multiple extraction points and intriguing structures on top of bosses. Facing off against an enemy that utilized ground drones felt harrowing, and Operator abilities arguably shine more here. While I wouldn’t put it anywhere near the top in terms of overall quality, especially with the lack of unique events and relatively easy AI, it’s far from disposable.

Those seeking more of a challenge can try out higher difficulties or engage in raids like Operation: Serpentine. The latter is a PvE activity supporting up to three players and features four stages with no threat of losing your loot. The downside is that enemies are more lethal, making it tough to surmount solo. As you level up, you’ll unlock new options at the base like the Auction House for buying or listing items to sell and shopping. I like how you can meet the other Operators, manning different stations and completing supply requests. It’s a nice touch and lacks much by way of annoying voice lines.

"Whether it can sustain long-term interest is another matter entirely, but with Battlefield more or less deposed till the next instalment, you could certainly do worse when it comes to clones, at least in PvP."

Progression is your standard earning XP from matches to level up and unlock new weapons. Using a weapon more will also unlock further attachments to customize it, but there’s otherwise an array of daily logins, challenges, and rewards to claim that became way too dizzying to keep track of. Some of it is essential to Operations, but there’s nothing noticeably pay-to-win (unless you count XP tokens for faster leveling).

Overall, Delta Force is a competitive shooter unabashedly ripping off from the best, be it Battlefield or Tarkov. However, it does so in a much more competent manner than expected, even if it can all feel rudimentary. Nevertheless, with its low barrier to entry and relatively minimal bugs outside of the odd person hanging outside of a vehicle, it’s worth checking out. Whether it can sustain long-term interest is another matter entirely, but with Battlefield more or less deposed till the next installment, you could certainly do worse when it comes to clones, at least in PvP.

This game was reviewed on PC.