Tag: Highguard

  • Sony Surprises Players with Highguard Auto-Refunds for Microtransactions

    Sony Surprises Players with Highguard Auto-Refunds for Microtransactions

    Key Takeaways

    1. Sony is issuing automatic refunds for microtransactions in Highguard after the game’s servers were shut down on March 12, 2026, despite typically strict refund policies.
    2. Refunds are currently available only for PlayStation users, with Steam players needing to request their refunds manually.
    3. Highguard had a very short lifespan of just six weeks, failing to retain its initial player base after a strong launch.
    4. Wildlight, the studio behind Highguard, faced severe consequences, reducing its workforce to 20 employees before the entire team was let go.
    5. The situation underscores the risks of live-service games, which can fail quickly if player engagement and retention do not meet expectations.

    Sony has begun issuing refunds to players who bought microtransactions in Highguard, even without players asking for them. This comes after the game’s servers were shut down on March 12, which many are calling a significant failure. It’s quite unexpected for a company like Sony to refund microtransactions in a free-to-play game that is no longer operational, as they typically adhere strongly to their refund policies.

    Refunds Confirmed

    The information first appeared on a deleted Reddit thread where a player who had enjoyed their time with Wildlight’s Highguard shared that they received a notification on their PlayStation. This notification informed them that their microtransaction purchases were set to be refunded fully. In their now-removed post, they mentioned, “I honestly didn’t want a refund. I liked the game and wanted to support it, but if you were seeking a refund, they are sending them out.”

    Limited Availability

    Reports suggest that the refunds for Highguard’s microtransactions are currently exclusive to PlayStation users, despite the game’s availability on both Steam and Xbox Series X|S. Many Steam players who made microtransaction purchases have taken the initiative to request refunds themselves.

    PlayStation users were particularly surprised, as Sony began distributing refunds for everything from battle-pass upgrades to cosmetic items around March 17, 2026.

    A Short Life

    Sadly, Highguard’s journey was short-lived. The game was introduced at The Game Awards 2025 in December, but the response was mostly negative from gamers. The ambitious “shadow drop” strategy, similar to that of Apex Legends, didn’t pan out as hoped. Highguard briefly attracted about 100,000 players, but that number quickly dwindled, and the game never regained its initial audience.

    Wildlight faced significant consequences due to the failure of Highguard. The studio’s workforce was reduced to just 20 employees, and by early March, the entire team was let go. The game did not achieve the performance targets set by Tencent’s TiMi Group, leading to the servers being permanently closed on March 12.

    Thus, Highguard existed for merely six weeks. The studio released a final farewell patch, marking the end of what many consider a Concord-level failure. Wildlight has now vanished, with their website and LinkedIn page completely wiped.

    It’s still uncertain whether Microsoft or Steam will also provide automatic refunds for Highguard. Nonetheless, this situation highlights how live-service games can collapse within weeks of launch if player engagement, retention, and numbers do not align.

    r/HighGuardGame

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  • Highguard Shutting Down March 12 Due to Low Player Base

    Highguard Shutting Down March 12 Due to Low Player Base

    Key Takeaways

    1. Highguard initially attracted around 97,000 players on Steam but quickly experienced a sharp decline in active users.
    2. The game reached a new low of only 122 players online, leading to the decision to permanently close the servers.
    3. The official shutdown date is set for March 12, with developers encouraging players to return for final matches.
    4. A final update will introduce new content, including a new Warden character, a new weapon, account level progression, and skill trees.
    5. Signs of trouble included the rapid drop in player count post-launch and significant layoffs within the development team.

    Highguard had an impressive beginning upon its release, hitting approximately 97,000 players at the same time on Steam. However, this initial success was short-lived. Within just a day, the game saw a significant decline in its player community, and the downward trend continued over the following weeks.

    Declining Numbers

    Since then, the situation has only worsened. The number of active players kept decreasing, ultimately reaching very low figures. Just yesterday, the game hit a new low, with merely 122 players online. With such diminishing numbers, it became hard for the developers to keep the game operational. Now, the team has announced that the servers will be permanently closed.

    Official Announcement

    In a message posted on X, the official account for Highguard revealed that the game will go offline on March 12. The developers shared that despite their efforts on the project, they could not maintain a sufficiently large player base to sustain the game long term.

    Even though the shutdown has been confirmed, the servers will be running until March 12. The developers are inviting players to return during these final days and enjoy a few last matches before the game shuts down. Additionally, the team is working on a final update before the closure, which will introduce a new Warden character, a new weapon, account level progression, and skill trees.

    Signs of Trouble

    Ever since Highguard was released, there have been various signs that hinted at the possibility of the game shutting down one day. The first significant indicator was the sharp drop in player count right after the launch. Just a few weeks later, the studio laid off most of its employees, leading many to speculate about the game’s uncertain future. At one point, a former developer even pointed fingers at content creators for the game’s failure, claiming it was labeled a flop before it had a real chance to succeed.

    Highguard via X

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  • Highguard Website Shuts Down Suddenly, Players Worry About Future

    Highguard Website Shuts Down Suddenly, Players Worry About Future

    Key Takeaways

    1. Highguard has faced negative publicity, particularly after a former lead artist blamed gamers for its lack of success.
    2. The official Highguard website is currently unavailable, displaying a “Site Unavailable” message.
    3. The game’s Discord has switched to invite-only mode, limiting community updates.
    4. Concerns about Highguard’s future are growing, with comparisons to the failed game Concord.
    5. The game’s struggling player count and recent layoffs at Wildlight Entertainment have raised alarms in the gaming community.

    Despite its not-so-great start, Highguard has somehow ended up in a lot of news—mostly for negative reasons. After former Lead Tech Artist at Wildlight, Josh Sobel, blamed gamers for the game’s lack of success, their rant backfired spectacularly, leading them to delete their X account completely. Now, it seems like the official Highguard website has done the same thing (thanks to @K__Med on X).

    Current Status of the Website

    As of now (18:33 CET, 17/2/2026), the Highguard website shows a simple “Site Unavailable” message. We cannot check the official Discord for any updates since it has been switched to invite-only mode, but we will refresh this article once we get the necessary approval. The game’s struggling player count on Steam, along with recent layoffs at Wildlight Entertainment, has raised alarms in the community.

    Community Concerns

    A lot of people are guessing this could signal the end for Highguard, with a large portion of the audience referring to it as Concord 2.0. It’s become very clear that it may not have much of a future as it stands, and even if the developers manage to come up with a fix, the game doesn’t particularly shine in an already crowded genre. On the brighter side, it might just be a nothingburger, and the website could simply be going through maintenance or perhaps even a redesign.

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  • Highguard Developer’s Rant on Reviews Sparks Backlash

    Highguard Developer’s Rant on Reviews Sparks Backlash

    Key Takeaways

    1. Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter featuring 3v3 battles, drawing comparisons to games like Paladins and Realm Royale.
    2. Notable streamer Shroud expressed concerns about the game’s initial reception and emphasized the need for timely updates to improve player experience.
    3. A senior designer from the game studio Wildlight revealed job losses within the team just two weeks after the game’s launch, indicating potential internal challenges.
    4. YouTuber Asmongold criticized the game, leading to a defensive response from developer Josh Sobel, who highlighted the impact of toxic positivity and the disconnect between developer expectations and player feedback.
    5. The backlash against Highguard reflects broader issues in game development, including the developer’s response to criticism and the blame-shifting mindset towards players.

    Highguard is a no-cost hero shooter that pits players against one another in 3v3 battles reminiscent of Paladins and MOBA mechanics. Noted streamer Shroud remarked that it reminded him of “Realm Royale.” Although he expressed some dissatisfaction with the game, he hopes updates and patches will address certain problems. “They really need to get it right because this game is already starting off poorly; people began disliking it before it was even released,” he said, emphasizing the tight timeline for improvements. Shroud’s take was considerably milder compared to other online reactions, but they all shared a focus on the game’s performance and initial reception. Just two weeks post-launch, a senior designer from the studio, who had lost his job, shared on LinkedIn that “most of the team at Wildlight” had been let go.

    YouTuber’s Critique

    Among the more vocal critics is popular YouTuber Asmongold, who branded the game “Concord 2.” This comment did not seem to please one of the developers, Josh Sobel, who took to his X account to express his thoughts in a detailed post.

    In what seemed like a subtle jab at Asmongold without directly naming him, Sobel shared a lengthy reflection on his now-deleted account titled “Reflecting on shipping my first game (Highguard).” He recounted the team’s mindset leading up to the reveal at The Game Awards and the reception they received when Geoff Keighley showcased their game as the final announcement. “After 2.5 years of dedicated work on Highguard, we were excited to show it to the world. The outlook appeared promising.” He further explained that “everyone he knew” and “feedback from unbiased sources” had echoed similar hopeful views regarding the game. “But after the trailer launched, things took a turn for the worse.”

    Toxic Positivity

    “Do you really think your friends and family will tell you your game is bad? No, they’re going to focus on the positives, trying to find good aspects and putting a happy spin on it,” he questioned in response to Josh’s post. “It’s Toxic positivity,” he added.

    In his post, Josh mentioned that content creators frequently share negative content or ‘ragebait’ to boost engagement and views. Asmongold countered this by saying it’s a major misunderstanding: creators produce content that reflects popular sentiment. “Everyone loves Baldur’s Gate 3, and if you want views, just talk about how great Baldur’s Gate 3 is,” he illustrated, providing several examples.

    Sobel, quickly following the trend of blaming their product’s shortcomings on the audience they aimed to please, was quick to label any criticism or feedback that didn’t match their views as “hate.” This included comments disparaging their characters, like referring to their lead hero Atticus as “John Video Game,” and even people submitting job applications to McDonald’s. “At launch, we faced over 14k review bombs from users who played for less than an hour. Many didn’t even complete the tutorial,” Sobel lamented as he continued to express his disappointment regarding player reactions to the game.

    Asmongold relentlessly challenged the developer’s assertions in his video, which, to be fair, was somewhat more severe than necessary, but that doesn’t dismiss the validity of what the streamer and others have pointed out. It’s important to recognize that the intensity of the feedback isn’t solely about the game itself; it’s also about how developers react to that feedback. As studios adopt the ‘blame it on the gamers’ mentality, any negative response to similar critiques against gamers is likely to be met with strong backlash.

    Asmongold YT

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  • Highguard Developer Blames Content Creators for Game’s Failure

    Highguard Developer Blames Content Creators for Game’s Failure

    Key Takeaways

    1. Initial excitement for Highguard quickly faded after launch, leading to a significant drop in players.
    2. Josh Sobel attributed much of the game’s failure to negative feedback from content creators and the online community.
    3. The reveal trailer received immediate backlash, with many creators focusing on criticism rather than constructive feedback.
    4. Sobel faced harassment on social media, leading him to make his account private, which further fueled negative attention.
    5. The situation serves as a warning for independent developers, suggesting that ongoing backlash may discourage innovation in multiplayer games.

    Excitement for Highguard was high before its release, especially because the team included individuals who had worked on popular games like Apex Legends and Titanfall. When it finally launched, the number of players was initially good, but that energy quickly faded. Just a day later, the game saw a significant drop in players and struggled to bounce back. The situation took a turn for the worse last night, when reports emerged that Wildlight Entertainment, the studio responsible for the game, had let go of most of its employees.

    Sobel Speaks Out

    Josh Sobel, who was the Lead Tech Artist at Wildlight, has shared his views on what went wrong with the game. In a detailed post on X, Sobel expressed his thoughts on the journey of the game, attributing much of the blame to content creators and the online environment that surrounded the launch.

    Sobel mentioned that the time leading up to The Game Awards 2025 was one of the most thrilling periods in his life. After working on Highguard for over two years, the team felt they had created something unique. Internal responses were overwhelmingly positive, even from those outside the studio. Many believed the game held mainstream appeal and were confident about its potential success.

    The Shift in Perception

    Sadly, that positive mindset swiftly crumbled once the reveal trailer was released. Sobel noted that negative feedback began almost instantly. He pointed out that while content creators often criticize overly optimistic previews, negative content tends to attract much more interaction. Consequently, he feels that many creators focused on critiquing the game, transforming Highguard into an easy target for outrage-driven media.

    “Within moments, it was clear: this game was doomed from the start, and creators had a goldmine of ragebait content for the next month. Every one of our videos on social media was downvoted heavily. The comments section was filled with cliché memes like ‘Concord 2’ and ‘Titanfall 3 died for this.’”

    Backlash and Harassment

    Sobel also mentioned that he faced significant backlash on social media, forcing him to make his account private for his mental well-being. This, however, only exacerbated the situation, as some creators publicly mocked him, leading to even more harassment directed his way.

    He admits that Highguard had its problems and that valid constructive criticism existed. Nevertheless, he believes the game was branded a failure before it had a genuine chance to succeed. The review-bombing, the flood of memes in comment sections, and countless negative reviews from players who scarcely played the game obliterated any hope for recovery.

    “At launch, we faced over 14,000 review bombs from users who had less than an hour of gameplay. Many didn’t even complete the necessary tutorial.”

    Sobel warns that this outcome serves as a cautionary tale for other independent developers. He argues that if this trend persists, fewer teams will be willing to take risks on multiplayer games outside of major corporations.

    — Josh Sobel via X

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  • Highguard Follows PlayStation’s Concord Amid Geoff Keighley’s Apology

    Highguard Follows PlayStation’s Concord Amid Geoff Keighley’s Apology

    Key Takeaways

    1. Concord’s Failure: Concord, a hero shooter by Firewalk Studios, faced backlash and was discontinued just two weeks after launch, marking it as one of the biggest video game failures.

    2. Highguard’s Introduction: Highguard, developed by Wildlight Entertainment and introduced by Geoff Keighley at the Game Awards, aims to innovate the shooter genre but has quickly faced criticism.

    3. Gameplay Similarities: Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter featuring 3v3 battles in a MOBA-like format, but initial player numbers have rapidly declined after a peak of 97,249.

    4. Players’ Discontent: Many players are disappointed with Highguard’s performance and quality, citing poor gameplay and uninspired character designs as major flaws.

    5. Low Retention Rates: Current player counts for Highguard are low compared to other hero shooters, indicating struggles with player retention and overall dissatisfaction despite its free-to-play model.

    Concord was a multiplayer FPS hero shooter developed by Firewalk Studios, set in a futuristic sci-fi world. Players were able to select from various characters and participate in fast-paced PvP battles. Unfortunately, the game faced major backlash from the start and was discontinued just two weeks after its launch, with the studio closing down shortly after. Many gamers regard it as one of the biggest video game failures ever. On January 26th, a new game called Highguard was released, vying for that title.

    Highguard’s Grand Reveal

    Geoff Keighley, a Canadian video game journalist known for hosting events like the Game Awards and Game Trailers TV, introduced Highguard as the last big surprise at the Game Awards. The game comes from Wildlight Entertainment, Inc., the team behind Apex Legends and Titanfall, and Keighley said they aimed to “push the shooter genre forward with a fresh original game.” Just before the release, he tweeted a meme saying, “in 48 hours, I’ll be accepting your apologies,” targeting gamers who sensed trouble ahead.

    Gameplay and Reception

    Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter where players compete in 3v3 battles similar to Paladins in a MOBA-like format. It became available on Steam on January 26th and initially attracted a peak of 97,249 players, but those numbers quickly dropped. The current 24-hour peak is only 12,748, showing a rapid decline. While Concord managed a peak of 697 players and had a price tag of $40, Highguard is free. Reviews came flooding in, and as of now, the game holds a Mostly Negative rating with over 28,000 reviews.

    Players’ Disappointment

    Players’ criticism ranges from poor performance to the overall lack of quality. One review from a gamer with over 12 hours of experience stated, “Highguard is another mid-AAA graphic-focused shooter that doesn’t know what it’s trying to be.” A common thread in the feedback is the product’s quality; even though the gameplay was promoted as exceptional, the audience felt let down after the big buildup for the awards show.

    Legendary Drops, a well-known YouTuber who talks about games on his channel, called the game’s presentation “the most aggressively generic reveal we saw the entire night.” Another recurring issue is the uninspired character designs. “The character they showcased honestly looks like John Video Game, zero identity, zero personality, much like the game itself,” he commented, comparing Highguard to Concord. Asmongold, another popular YouTuber, echoed this sentiment, questioning why players would engage with roles in the game if they aren’t appealing.

    Future Prospects

    The player count might give a clearer picture over the weekend, but expectations are low. Currently, player numbers stand at 7,195. For comparison, the hit hero shooter Marvel Rivals had an all-time peak of 644,269 just a week after its launch, and now holds at 80,290 players.

    This indicates that Highguard struggles with retention rates, even when pitted against Marvel Rivals’ impressive launch figures. Despite being free-to-play and sharing several similarities with that game, it lacks the same branding power. Whether this is just a temporary setback or a more significant issue is uncertain, but many believe the signs are not good for this title, especially considering the high hopes it came with.

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  • New Free-to-Play Shooter Launches on Steam with 97K Players

    New Free-to-Play Shooter Launches on Steam with 97K Players

    Key Takeaways

    1. Highguard, a new shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, had a peak of 97,249 players but currently has 71% negative reviews from about 16,500 total reviews.
    2. The game features a 3v3 “PvP Raid Shooter” format, combining hero abilities with MOBA-like base assault gameplay.
    3. Players criticize the large maps for the 3v3 format, leading to long periods without encounters, and report significant technical issues affecting performance and visuals.
    4. Negative feedback may be influenced by high expectations following its showcase at TGA 2025, with some calling it a “self-fulfilling prophecy of hate.”
    5. CEO Dusty Welch acknowledges the game’s trailer did not effectively represent gameplay, and the studio is under pressure to improve the game quickly.

    When a studio created by the main designers of Titanfall and Apex Legends presents a new shooter, it’s natural for there to be very mixed responses. This is indeed the case as Wildlight Entertainment’s Highguard is currently facing its own challenges on Steam. Released just yesterday, January 26, 2026, the game quickly reached a peak of 97,249 players online. However, that initial excitement turned into irritation rather fast; the game is now buried with about 16,500 reviews, with a shocking 71% of those being negative.

    Gameplay Overview

    Highguard is what the developers describe as a “PvP Raid Shooter.” It features a 3v3 format that attempts to blend hero abilities found in Apex with the base-assault gameplay typical of a MOBA. Players assume the role of a “Warden” (an arcane gunslinger) and begin each match by choosing and reinforcing a literal castle. The game unfolds in four phases: you first spend a minute strengthening your walls, then two minutes traversing a vast open map on mounts to scavenge for better gear, and finally, you engage in combat for a “Shieldbreaker” sword. If you manage to obtain the sword, a gigantic siege tower appears, and you must spend the last moments trying to destroy the opponent’s power generators before they deactivate your explosives.

    Player Reactions

    The major issue is that while the concept seems promising, the execution appears lacking based on reviews. Many players are voicing concerns that the maps are excessively large for a 3v3 format, resulting in prolonged periods of “horse-riding simulator” where players don’t encounter another person for five minutes straight. The technical problems are also significant; even with high-performance 50-series graphics cards, the frame rates are dropping, and the heavy reliance on upscaling has made the visuals seem “blurry” and not well-finished. Additionally, the necessity for secure boot due to anti-cheat measures has deterred a substantial number of players right from the outset.

    Hype and Expectations

    Some of this negative feedback may also stem from the “Game Awards” aftermath. The game was featured in the final “one more thing” segment at TGA 2025, which built up a lot of anticipation. Critics are now labeling it as a “self-fulfilling prophecy of hate,” where a puzzling trailer and even more perplexing gameplay have led players to feel that the developers at Wildlight have lost their way. CEO Dusty Welch has already acknowledged that the initial trailer did not effectively showcase the gameplay loop, but with the Steam rating hovering in the “Mostly Negative” category, the studio is now racing against time to refine the game before the player count drops along with the review scores.

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