Tag: Wildlight Entertainment

  • 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.

    Source:
    Link

     

    Tags: , ,
  • 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

    Source:
    Link

     

    Tags: , ,
  • 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.

    Source:
    Link

     

    Tags: , ,