A number of high-profile video game developers have defended Highguard amid an online backlash during the game’s launch.
The free-to-play “PvP raid shooter” was the big new game reveal at the end of last month’s The Game Awards, but developer Wildlight then went dark until the January 26 release date in a bid to channel the successful shadowdrop of Apex Legends back in 2019.
At launch, Highguard hit a peak of 97,249 concurrent users on Steam — a significant number for any new game launch on Valve’s platform — but at the same time Wildlight has had to contend with a “mostly negative” user review rating. Meanwhile, Steam concurrents have fallen, and Highguard has slipped out of the top 100 most-played games list on Valve’s platform.
Chief among the criticisms from players is that the size of the map feels too big and empty for a 3v3 competitive shooter. You’re able to summon a mount to get about faster (the mounts are one aspect of Highguard that players seem to universally like), but some believe a 4v4, 5v5, or even 3v3v3 mode would have been a better fit.
There are also complaints about the resource-gathering phase of each map, which involves what some are calling boring mining and loot farming. The gist here is there is too much downtime and a lack of excitement, although players seem to be enjoying the raid phase of each match, where combat is concentrated. There is also criticism of the design of the playable characters, Highguard’s art direction, and a lack of content — as well as performance problems particularly on PC.
Through it all is a feeling that Highguard perhaps suffered from being the “one more thing” reveal at The Game Awards, where it might have better managed expectations in a slot earlier in the show. Wildlight staff have indicated they originally planned a true Apex Legends-style shadowdrop for Highguard, but The Game Awards chief Geoff Keighley asked the team about featuring it at the end of the show. Keighley has subsequently suffered a backlash of his own, with some feeling Highguard’ position in The Game Awards’ running order overly hyped the game.
Opening X this morning! pic.twitter.com/NQXGvOvjYL
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) January 27, 2026
Now, developers from the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 studio Larian as well as Fortnite maker Epic have hit out at the discourse surrounding Highguard, and the internet’s capacity to “hate” on video games at launch. Developers like Cliff Bleszinski of Gears of War fame, Epic executive Mark Rein, and Larian boss Swen Vincke spoke up against, in particular, negativity from critics.
“I don’t like people s****ing on things others have created,” Vincke tweeted. “Putting something out into the world makes you vulnerable, and that alone deserves respect, even if you dislike the creation. It’s easy to destroy things, it’s a lot harder to build them. The best critics understand this. Even when they’re being critical, they do their best not to be hurtful.”
Vincke went on to suggest a Metacritic-style scoring system for reviewers, based on how others evaluate their criticism. “I like to imagine it would encourage a bit more restraint,” he said. “The harsh words do real damage. You shouldn’t have to grow callus on your soul just because you want to publish something.”
He continued: “And yes — I get that if people are charging money, you want to know if it’s good or not. But reviewers can just say — I didn’t enjoy it or I don’t think it’s well made or I don’t think it’s worth the money they are charging. That’s enough. No need to get personal for the sake of some likes.“
And in a follow-up post, Vincke added: “What I’m trying to say is that most creative souls are sensitive souls and those sensitive souls are the ones that care the most. When they check out because they can’t handle the vitriol, we all lose because what’s left are those that don’t care. The effect the words have on those sensitive souls may not be underestimated. You don’t want them to lose their idealism and love of players.
“There’s other ways of dealing with player exploitation. Not playing the games is probably the best one. You don’t have to verbally hurt the people behind the game to express your disdain. If enough people stop playing the games that don’t respect players, those in charge will get the message and change course soon. There’s enough other games there.”
Cliff Bleszinski, whose own live service shooter LawBreakers was a commercial failure, leading to the closure of his studio, asked: “When did it become trendy to hate on a new game? Been seeing it more and more in recent years. It’s exhausting.”
“It’s downright horrible,” Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games, commented. “Especially a FREE game from a new studio. Just so sad. This is a hobby for people, they should approach with joy not hatred.”
The reality is that Wildlight faces an uphill challenge turning online sentiment about its live service shooter around, and the studio will be particularly concerned by Highguard’s Steam user review rating, which remains ‘mostly negative.’ Currently, 37% of the 19,439 user reviews are positive; Wildlight plans to continue to update Highguard with various patches, and has announced its 2026 roadmap of content.
Meanwhile, Keighley responded to one person on social media who asked if he had a financial stake in Highguard’s success. “lol absolutely not,” he said.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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