Highguard Launches to Overwhelmingly Negative Reviews (and Is Already Losing Players)

Highguard, the much-hyped AAA multiplayer live-service game from Wildlight Entertainment, officially launched yesterday, and it has not gone well. Steam reviews are overwhelmingly negative, with players complaining about clunky combat, unbalanced classes, and a lack of meaningful content. People were excited for a polished competitive experience, but early impressions have been rough.

Part of the issue may be the marketing. Highguard only had a single reveal during The Game Awards and very little promotion beyond that. That could have limited how many people even knew it was coming. Combined with the game’s early gameplay problems, it created a perfect storm for a rough start.

Highguard’s Launch Day Numbers Are Shockingly Low for a Hyped Live-Service Game Release

When it comes to live-service games, launch day numbers are everything. And for Highguard, those numbers are worrying. For some perspective, most hyped live-service games hit hundreds of thousands of players in their opening hours, then taper off over the coming weeks and months. Highguard not even hitting triple digits in its all-time peak daily count is almost unheard of for a title this scale. On top of that, the numbers began dropping quickly as the day went on, suggesting many early players didn’t stick around beyond a few hours of the game’s release. This is not a good situation.

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This Is How Highguard Match Phases Actually Progress From Start to Finish

Steam reviews give clues as to why. Many players report that the combat feels jerky and inconsistent, making fights frustrating rather than fun. Others say the classes are unbalanced or outright boring, leaving players feeling limited in how they can approach the game. Progression systems are also criticized as shallow, with little incentive to keep playing beyond the first few hours. Some users even mention technical issues, like server disconnects or lag during matches, which only adds to frustration.

A common theme in reviews is that Highguard feels incomplete, or rather, a mixing pot of unfinished ideas. Players expected a polished, competitive experience, but instead, they found a game that seems rushed to launch. For live-service games, first impressions are critical. If the gameplay and progression systems don’t grab players immediately, the hype and marketing cannot make up for it. Once a perspective is set in stone, it’s difficult to change for the masses.

The combination of low marketing, early gameplay problems, and rapid player drop-off has created a really tough situation for Wildlight Entertainment. Highguard’s launch shows just how high the stakes are for live-service games. A bad first impression can be hard to recover from, and the team will need to act fast if they want to stabilize the player base and convince new players to give the game a shot.

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