Highguard Experiences High Player Count and Review-Bombing at Launch

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Highguard had a rocky start on Steam, receiving mostly negative reviews even as the number of players increased. This sudden jump in popularity followed weeks of silence from the game’s developer, Wildlight Entertainment, after the game was first shown to the public.

Wildlight Entertainment, a new game studio founded by Dusty Welch and Chad Grenier, announced its first project, Highguard, at the 2025 Game Awards. The studio operates remotely with team members based in Los Angeles and Seattle. The developers bring experience from popular shooter games like Call of Duty, Apex Legends, and Titanfall – the last two of which they created while working at Respawn Entertainment, a part of EA.

Highguard Off to a Controversially Fast Start on Steam

TopMob | Image source: SteamDB

The new team shooter Highguard, which is free to play and supported by in-game purchases, has sparked mixed reactions from Steam users. It quickly gained popularity, reaching a peak of 97,249 players on Steam shortly after its global launch on January 26th, though the number has since decreased. Because Highguard is also free on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles and supports cross-play, the total number of players across all platforms is probably much higher. On launch day, viewers also tuned in to see gameplay, with Highguard reaching a peak of 377,266 viewers on Twitch as content creators showcased the game from developer Wildlight.

While Highguard initially gained attention, its launch on Steam wasn’t entirely well-received. Within the first few hours, the game received a large number of negative reviews, resulting in an ‘Overwhelmingly Negative’ rating from 17% of its 1,863 Steam users – a strong indication of review bombing. Some of this negativity is likely due to the game being a free-to-play team shooter, as similar games like Overwatch 2 have faced similar criticism despite being popular. The game also sparked controversy due to its promotion during The Game Awards, and it uses Epic’s EASY Anti-Cheat, which requires players to have Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 enabled on their PCs. Because of these kernel-level anti-cheat requirements, it’s currently uncertain whether Highguard will be compatible with the Steam Deck or future Steam Machines.

Perception is the Key to Highguard’s Future

When the game launched worldwide, the developers of Highguard explained how the gameplay works and what players can anticipate. Highguard‘s player-versus-player (PVP) system involves two teams of three players competing to collect items scattered throughout the map. The ultimate objective is to locate a powerful sword called the Shieldbreaker, which, as the name suggests, can break through enemy defenses and allow a team to attack the base. However, the defending team can use the items they’ve collected to protect themselves. To add variety, players each control a unique character called a Warden, with different abilities that can change the course of battle. With more Wardens planned for release after launch, it’s still unclear how the initial criticisms surrounding Highguard will affect how many people play the game.

Image via Wildlight Entertainment

The launch of Highguard happened during a packed week for new game releases in 2026. With games like Code Vein 2 and Front Mission 3: Remake also out in late January, and several more, including Resident Evil Requiem, planned for February, Highguard‘s strong start is encouraging for Wildlight and their first game. It remains to be seen if Highguard can maintain this early success and overcome some initial criticism.

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2026-01-27 01:05