The release of Highguard did not go well, but the developers are not letting it get them down and still believe in their game.
Although the new hero shooter launched successfully on Steam two days ago with almost 100,000 players, the numbers for Highguard plummeted just as quickly as the user ratings on Valve’s platform. Current status: only 35 percent positive reviews.
But even before its release, there was a lot of criticism and ridicule after the first trailer at the Game Awards in December 2025 didn’t go down particularly well with players.
“Our player numbers don’t have to be huge.”
In the week before the release, some members of the press were able to test the game at an event in Los Angeles and conduct interviews with the developers at Wildlight Entertainment.
In interview with PC Gamer, they also commented on how they dealt with the harsh reactions to the trailer. Lead designer Mohammad Alavi reported:
Honestly, we don’t need a huge player count to be successful. We’re a small team. A six-player match isn’t hard to find. What we really want is a core group of fans who love us. That will allow us to grow. It’s annoying to be the target of the internet hate machine, but at the same time, I try to just focus on making the best game I can and getting that game out to people. Ultimately, that’s all that really matters.
Jason Torfin, VP of Project and Publishing, adds on the topic of internet hate and the doubts expressed about the need for more hero shooters:
The internet does internet things. If you want to provide a good live service, you have to be able to read between the lines. Yes, there are signs that people are tired, that they are confused, that they don’t know these things. So it’s up to us to respond, and we will.
Wildlight Entertainment has grown to over 100 employees during its four years of development. A studio of this size should still have a certain player base, especially for a Free2Play game.
Shooters dominate the market
Studio founder and CEO Dusty Welch also sees that there are many representatives of the genre, but no oversaturation. According to Welch, shooters are still “the fuel that drives the gaming industry.”
The data would show this, according to the CEO. Five of the top 10 PC games are shooters in terms of monthly active users, and these games also lead the way in terms of playing time and revenue. Growth for shooters remains “incredible.”
Wildlight Entertainment wants to grow from a small base and sees potential for Highguard to establish itself in a market with numerous offerings. At least that was the plan before the release.
On Steam, however, this future does not look quite so rosy, but the game has also been released for PlayStation and Xbox. No player numbers are known for either platform.
