Highguard Was Never Taken Seriously From the Beginning

Less than a month after its release, Highguard faced an unexpected crisis. Wildlight Entertainment, the developer of Highguard, laid off employees following a drop in player numbers, and one of the project’s employees shared details of the situation publicly. The resulting picture once again demonstrated how crucial perception can be in the modern gaming world.

Why Did Highguard Reach This Point?

Josh Sobel, a technical artist at the studio, stated in a lengthy social media post that the game became a target from the very first trailer. He noted that feedback from the internal team was positive and constructive, emphasizing the team’s strong belief in the project. However, the wave of social media activity following the release of the trailer changed everything.

According to Sobel, unfounded claims that the game had received millions of dollars in advertising placements spread quickly and were even presented as fact in some media outlets. This perception led to Highguard being declared a “failure before release.” The mockery of the game on social media with hashtags like “Concord 2” and the thousands of negative comments despite its low playtime further accelerated this process.

Of course, the development team doesn’t claim the game is flawless. However, Sobel believes that negative rhetoric and organized negative content seriously affected the game’s fate. The phrase, “The power of players is far greater than they think,” was one of the most striking parts of the article.

Although Wildlight has decided to downsize, Highguard hasn’t been completely shelved. Sobel wishes the remaining team success and reminds them that a community that believes in the game still exists. While Highguard’s future is uncertain, what happened clearly demonstrates how critical perception and community influence are in the gaming industry.

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