3 min read
Highguard arrived with a bang, but the smoke is clearing fast. Wildlight Entertainment’s debut hero shooter, revealed as the “one last thing” at The Game Awards 2025, promised a fresh take on the genre. Instead, it delivered a case study in volatility.
The game launched on January 26, 2026. Today, just four days later, the numbers paint a brutal picture. Highguard is fighting for its life, and the industry is watching closely.
The Numbers: A Vertical Drop
The initial data looked promising. According to SteamDB, Highguard peaked at 97,249 concurrent players shortly after release. For a new IP, these are healthy numbers. However, the retention rate is alarming.
Within 48 hours, that player count plummeted by approximately 80%. As of January 28, the game struggled to maintain 11,500 active players, with a 24-hour peak of just 19,296.
The situation on Twitch is even starker. Viewership often predicts a live-service game’s longevity, and Highguard’s interest has cratered. SullyGnome data shows the game hit a massive 382,943 peak viewers on launch day. Three days later? That number effectively flatlined to around 2,500 viewers. Viral marketing sparked curiosity, but the gameplay loop failed to hold attention.
The “Concord” Curse & Developer Defence
The internet moves fast, and the verdict was immediate. Players quickly drew comparisons to Sony’s failed Concord experiment. Technical instability, matchmaking failures, and review-bombing drove Highguard’s Steam rating to “Overwhelmingly Negative”.
However, this backlash sparked a rare defence from the industry. Developers from major studios, including Remedy and Larian, stepped in to criticise the “cycle of cynicism”.
I remember standing on stage at DICE *trying* to see eye to eye with an executive audience who didn’t – couldn’t – figure out what they should be making, or even trying. It is funny in a way that the closer we all got to the audience, the further the industry got from… https://t.co/k63Mwp7IW2
— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) January 28, 2026
Baldur’s Gate 3 Publishing Director Michael Douse argued that “game development runs on optimism”, suggesting that the media and gamers are too quick to celebrate failure. These developers believe the “Concord” comparison is unfair. Unlike Concord, Highguard is Free-to-Play. It broke 97,000 players, something Concord (which peaked at under 700) never came close to achieving.
Can The 2026 Roadmap Save Highguard?
Wildlight Entertainment isn’t folding yet. They have already rolled out a 2026 roadmap designed to stop the bleeding. The studio plans to release a new playable character every other month.
Episode 2, launching in February, brings critical content:
- A new Warden (character)
- A new Map
- Ranked Mode
- A new Mount
The immediate future hinges on this weekend. The Monday launch was awkward, but a stable weekend could bring players back. The Free-to-Play model is Highguard’s biggest asset here… it costs nothing for players to give it a second chance.
Highguard is down, but not out. The 80% drop is catastrophic, yet the initial player base proves the interest exists. The game has a pulse, which is more than many failed live-service games can claim.
If Wildlight fixes the matchmaking and delivers a flawless February update, Highguard might stabilise. If they miss, this “one last thing” will become just another footnote in gaming history.
