US EditionHighguard isn’t quite there, but I worry the backlash means it won’t have time to find its legs
Highguard blends fantasy-punk 3v3 shooter action with looting and sieges but faces gameplay balance issues and declining player counts shortly after launch, Steam data shows.
8 Articles
8 Articles
Only a few days after the release of Highguard, the developer studio Wildlight Entertainment has responded with a drastic step: An experimental 5v5 mode is now playable for a weekend. The surprising step comes after a dramatic break in player numbers – from almost 100,000 simultaneously active users to less than 10,000 in less than a week. Highguard is a free PvP raid shooter released on January 26, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC…
As Highguard stumbles out the gate after weeks of criticism, are we being too hard on live service games?
Highguard's launch this week would've probably passed by largely unremarked if it wasn't for its appearance at last year's The Game Awards. Unusually for a game with no prior hype or obvious pedigree, it featured as the show's big "and finally" reveal, immediately subjecting it to intense, and slightly bewildered, scrutiny. After that, even as hard facts on the game remained scarce, it continued to draw scorn, purely for the sin - or so it seeme…
A great shooter, an unusual gameplay concept, yet not a hit: In the test, Highguard shows great potential, but there is still room for improvement in many areas.
Highguard developers refuse to quit after rough Steam launch
After a disastrous launch on Steam, Highguard looked like another free-to-play shooter headed straight for obscurity. Instead of giving up, its developers reacted faster—and smarter—than many far bigger studios would have dared. Highguard developers refuse to quit after rough Steam launch When Highguard launched on Steam and PlayStation 5 on January 26, 2026, expectations were already low. The free-to-play shooter had been quietly revealed at Th…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
