Steam User Reviews Crush Highguard as CEO Acknowledges “Poor” TGA Trailer Performance

Launch of Highguard: A Mixed Reception

Yesterday marked the debut of the free-to-play PvP ‘raid shooter’ Highguard on PC and various consoles. As detailed in our earlier coverage, the game quickly achieved a peak of approximately 97, 000 concurrent players on Steam. However, some industry analysts suggest that this number, while impressive, could be disappointing for a free title. Speculation indicates that the game’s lukewarm reception during its unveiling at Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards 2025 might have contributed to its initial performance.

Reflections from the Development Team

In a candid discussion with PC Gamer, Dusty Welch, the CEO of Wildlight Entertainment, admitted that the team could have better represented their game through a more compelling trailer:

Look, I wish Highguard had been received better. I wish the feedback had been better. Part of that’s on us, right? We didn’t put our heads in the sand. We, as a team, saw the feedback. We’re gamers ourselves. We’re online ourselves reading the feedback.

I think, ultimately, we could have made a different trailer—a better trailer that wasn’t about entertaining, which is what we think The Game Awards was about. We could have made something that did a better job of highlighting the unique loop of the game. So that’s on us. We take that, but the team is resilient.

User Reviews and Criticisms

Despite the initial player count, Highguard faces significant challenges as it struggles with user critiques on Steam. The current user reviews reflect a ‘Mostly Negative’ sentiment, with just about 32% of players offering positive feedback. One prevailing concern among gamers is that the game map is excessively large for the existing 3v3 team format. Many players argue that matches would be improved with an increased team size of at least 5v5, preferably even 10v10.

Another area of contention revolves around technical performance, as players have raised issues regarding PC optimization. For context, Highguard is built on Unreal Engine 5, a powerful game development platform that, if properly utilized, could enhance the gaming experience.

Looking Ahead: A Potential Comeback?

It’s clear that Highguard is facing an uphill battle in its early days; however, the history of live service games reveals that turnarounds are possible. Successful recovery requires dedicated efforts from developers, particularly in addressing community feedback. As we await updates and changes from the development team, the gaming community will be keeping a close watch on how Highguard evolves moving forward.

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