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.
