Highguard didn’t arrive with much hype, its build-up was even less prominent, and the final result can only be considered a disaster that resulted in substantial layoffs for Highguard developer Wildlight Entertainment.
The final game announcement for The Game Awards 2025 was Highguard. Whereas millions of players were hoping for a new God of War, Bloodborne, or something earth-shatteringly big, Geoff Keighley couldn’t contain his excitement as Highguard was finally revealed.
Highguard’s Steam player base plummeted by over 95% in just over two weeks. The downward decline has had detriental effects, but it was hard to see anything else happening.
Why Wasn’t Highguard A Success?
Highguard was a decent game at launch with next-to-no redeeming qualities or innovative features. In a saturated market of live-service shooters and free-to-play games, Highguard didn’t have anywhere near enough content at launch to suggest it could last, and the frosty reception to Highguard’s TGA 2025 reveal ultimately caused the title’s instant downfall.
The Game Awards 2025
Geoff Keighley has a reputation for hyping things up that don’t always deliver, and there’s nothing wrong with that. One person’s view won’t resonate with everyone, maybe not at all. But giving Highguard the sign-off slot for TGA 2025 meant the game had to dazzle and deliver.
Expectations for The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest, and other mega showcases are usually unrealistically high. Players want EVERYTHING and usually don’t get anything they want. When a baying audience is clinging on for a Half-Life 3 or an announcement to end all, Highguard was not seen as it. Social media (for the most part) wasn’t giving Highguard much of a chance, getting the game off to a bad start.
Social Media Blackout
From December 11 (TGA 2025) until a few days before launch, Highguard’s socials were like a ghost town. YouTube, X, you name it; no gameplay footage, no new trailers, and nothing from Wildlight. Some viewed this as a deliberate marketing strategy designed to build intrigue and curiosity close to its debut.
There’s a thought that had Highguard been highly anticipated, the gaming community would have accepted it. Instead, it cast more negative light on Highguard, even bringing doubt about its future. Finally, on January 23, a gameplay showcase was announced—taking place minutes before the servers went online. It was a bold strategy.
Further clarification arrived when it was revealed that Highguard was meant to be a ‘Shadowdrop’, but Geoff Keighley wanted it at The Game Awards. In hindsight, a shadowdrop possibly could’ve helped the game’s fortunes by not giving people time to make up their mind in advance.
Highguard’s Release & Reception
It was go time, and anyone interested in Highguard finally got to see what the fuss was all about. The early signs were good, as the official Highguard website crashed after the game’s launch. People flocked to the F2P shooter like birds to bread, but opinions formulated very quickly.
“Mostly Negative” reviews bombarded Steam, and complaints about the shooter were quite common:
- The maps were too big.
- The loot phase of the match was boring.
- Action was fairly limited outside of the Raid phase.
- Wardens were fairly generic.
- PC performance issues.
- The price of microtransactions.
- Highguard’s identity was lacking by being too many games wrapped into one perfect package.
Post-Launch
A steep and instant player drop-off prompted the developer to target the game’s biggest gripes. Credit to Wildlight, they addressed the nature of big maps and small teams with the permanent addition of a 5v5 Raid Mode.
With Episode 1 underway and a full Highguard 2026 Roadmap, the team must have thought the game had a chance. Barely two weeks later, the game’s all-time Steam peak of 97,249 turned into a 3,580 24-hour peak by mid-February.
Highguard & Wildlight Entertainment Layoffs, Explained
On February 11, it was reported and confirmed that Wildlight Entertainment had to “part ways with a number of our team members” as part of mass layoffs caused by Highguard’s unsuccessful start.
Insider Gaming wishes nothing but the best for any developers laid off from Wildlight Entertainment. It’s not clear how many people have succumbed to Highguard’s mass layoffs, but Alex Graner, a senior-level designer at Wildlight, said in a LinkedIn post that it was he and “most of the team at Wildlight.”
An official Wildlight statement has since said it is: “Keeping a core group of developers to continue innovating on and supporting the game.” So, if you are enjoying Highguard, its development looks to be continuing for now.
Like Concord, XDefiant, the relaunched MultiVersus, and so many other live-service games before it, you have to wonder how long Highguard has left. If the player exodus continues, its future could be bleak.
How many hours have you put into Highguard? What do you enjoy or dislike? What could Wildlight have done differently with the game’s release? Share all your opinions and more via the Insider Gaming Discord Server.
