The highly anticipated PvP raid shooter, Highguard, has finally made its debut. The launch comes several weeks after its surprising reveal at The Game Awards, which initially left audiences with a blend of skepticism and cautious curiosity. Dusty Welch, CEO and co-founder of Wildlight Entertainment, recently admitted that the initial unveiling could have been handled better, revealing that the team had originally planned an “Apex Legends-style” surprise release.
“To be honest, I wish the reception to Highguard had been more positive,” Welch admitted during a conversation with PC Gamer. “The responsibility lies with us. We didn’t ignore the feedback; as gamers ourselves, we were right there reading the comments. Looking back, we could have produced a more effective trailer—one that focused less on pure entertainment and more on the gameplay fundamentals.”
Wildlight co-founder Chad Grenier further explained to Kotaku that the Game Awards teaser was essentially a last-minute addition following an invitation from the show’s host, Geoff Keighley.
“Geoff has been a long-time friend, and when he offered to help us showcase something different, we took the leap,” Grenier noted. “In hindsight, it was a risky move for a free-to-play PvP Raid Shooter, but we wanted to try something unique.”
Interestingly, throughout its four-year development cycle, the team intended for Highguard to be a “shadow drop”—a simultaneous reveal and launch. “We planned for a surprise release from day one,” Grenier added. “It worked incredibly well for us with Apex, so that was our baseline strategy.”
Welch expanded on why they couldn’t turn down Keighley’s offer: “Geoff visited the studio, played the game, and genuinely enjoyed it. As an independent studio that had intentionally stayed under the radar, it was impossible to decline an invitation to the industry’s biggest stage. Who wouldn’t want to showcase their free-to-play title to that massive audience?”
While the initial reveal may have missed its mark, Wildlight’s subsequent silence—which only ended with today’s launch showcase—was a calculated move. Design and creative director James McCord told PC Gamer that their stance has always been simple: “The real test is in the playing.”
While the long-term outlook for Highguard is still unfolding, it has clearly avoided the “failure to launch” pitfalls of recent competitors. Data from SteamDB indicates that Highguard has already surpassed a peak of 84,000 concurrent players—a figure that continues to climb. Furthermore, the game’s Twitch presence is massive, with over 363,000 viewers tuning in at launch.
Highguard is currently free-to-play on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Players can look forward to a new “Episode” in just two weeks, which will introduce a new hero, a fourth mount variety, and a competitive Ranked mode.
Stay tuned for more updates on the hottest game releases of 2026 and beyond.
Source: gamesradar.com
