Highguard’s “world premiere” at The Game Awards received a muted reaction, with many fans confused by its prominence in the show.
They also complained its trailer failed to explain exactly how the game worked and what distinguished it from other games in the crowded multiplayer space.
Highguard’s makers have been criticised for the lack of marketing in the run-up to its release, which was announced at short notice after a period of silence.
When it finally launched for PC, PlayStation and Xbox on 26 January, hands-on press previews largely painted a positive picture, saying the game offered a unique take on its genre.
It initially attracted just under 100,000 players on PC and about 380,000 viewers on streaming site Twitch, according to data-tracking website SteamDB, external.
But those numbers have dropped sharply since, with the game reaching just 3,600 concurrent PC users on the day the layoffs were announced.
However, it has retained a core base of dedicated players, and its developers previously said they had a year’s worth of updates mapped out.