Photorealistic illustration depicting Highguard's Steam backlash with negative reviews, edited dev credits, server glitches, and player protests.
Photorealistic illustration depicting Highguard's Steam backlash with negative reviews, edited dev credits, server glitches, and player protests.
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Highguard faces backlash over dev credits removal and mixed reviews

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One day after its troubled launch plagued by server issues and technical glitches, Highguard has drawn further criticism for editing out references to its developers' Apex Legends and Titanfall ties on Steam, while host Geoff Keighley denied investment rumors. Despite peak concurrent players near 100,000, 'Mostly Negative' Steam reviews persist over 3v3 format and map scales, though some praise unique mechanics.

Building on yesterday's launch coverage of server overloads, performance drops, and over 9,000 mostly negative Steam reviews, Wildlight Entertainment has faced additional backlash. The studio quietly removed 'From the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall' from the Steam page post-launch, despite earlier promotions highlighting the team's roots—founded four years ago by former Respawn developers. An Xbox Wire post kept the connection, but console pages did not. Geoff Keighley, who featured the trailer at the 2025 Game Awards finale, dismissed online accusations of financial involvement on X: 'lol absolutely not.' He had hyped the game pre-launch but now shares in the criticism amid its rocky reception.

Marketing remained sparse, with social channels quiet until launch days and an early trophy list leak offering few insights. Gameplay critiques center on the 3v3 PvP raid format, where small teams battle on expansive maps for resources like blue crystal shards to forge a raiding sword, amplifying individual pressure and teammate blame. A bright spot is the crystal mining minigame— a satisfying timing challenge on PS5 with rewarding audio feedback—though the economy needs refinement.

Wildlight has shared post-launch roadmap details, including potential larger casual modes to improve accessibility and retention.

What people are saying

Discussions on X focus on Highguard's removal of Apex Legends and Titanfall creator credits from its Steam page, sparking speculation of Respawn/EA pressure or damage control amid 'Mostly Negative' reviews complaining of mismatched 3v3 format on large maps, server issues, poor performance, and floaty gunplay. Some note reviews trend more positive with extended playtime, while others credit Geoff Keighley's promotion for the 100k peak concurrents despite backlash.

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Highguard, Wildlight Entertainment's multiplayer shooter, has gone offline on March 12, 2026—less than two months after launch—following last week's shutdown announcement amid player retention and funding woes. A former Naughty Dog artist who designed early concept art for hero Condor has sworn off live-service projects, while a Kotaku writer mourned the game's unique chill vibe.

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Free-to-play shooter Highguard from Wildlight Entertainment closes on March 12, 2026—making today, March 11, the final day—following last week's shutdown announcement amid layoffs, Tencent funding withdrawal, and ongoing performance woes. Available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, the game saw player counts drop to double digits last week after a troubled launch.

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