The sword has officially shattered for the multiplayer game Highguard, which launched on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in January. Just over a month after release, the free-to-play game will close shop next week, on March 12th. The team at Wildlight Entertainment noted, “Despite the passion and hard work of our team, we have not been able to build a sustainable player base to support the game long term.” The developer intends to release one final update to the game before it takes its bow next week.
Like Sony’s high-budget Concord before it, many believe Highguard was doomed to fail from the start, especially in a market oversaturated with me-too multiplayer clones. But did it ever have a chance to succeed?
With that, let’s take a look at the game’s journey, the mistakes it made along the way, and why it ultimately failed in the long run.
The Game Awards Didn’t Do Highguard Any Favors
Geoff Keighley initially introduced the Highguard trailer during The Game Awards last year. But the way he did it rubbed some people the wrong way.
Usually, Geoff reserves the final spot of the show to present a highly anticipated game. He’s done it in the past, and many were wondering if he’d do it again. But the second he mentioned “multiplayer” when speaking about Highguard, many let out a collective groan.
The trailer for Highguard did have some promise upon its debut, but negative speculation began to build. Part of it might be due to a lack of information about the game. However, a larger portion of negativity stems from a different game entirely: Sony’s failed multiplayer shooter Concord.
Sony announced the title in May of 2024 and then debuted it months later, hoping it would find success upon the same level as Blizzard’s Overwatch, especially with a similar set-up. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for it, as it barely registered with 25,000 copies sold. As a result from this lacking player interest, the shooter shut down just two weeks in.
Highguard was a free-to-play game, so it stood a better chance than the premium-and-microtransaction-oriented Concord. But many were turned off by the idea of investing time in a game they knew very little about. It didn’t help that the developer went radio silent for weeks leading up to its release, when it finally unleashed a flood of information at once.
Holding back on details for so long didn’t help the game at all. For that matter, it also didn’t help that Keighley admitted to giving Highguard a huge advertising spot on the Game Awards for free, considering the hundreds of thousands of dollars that other studios were charged. Many indie developers felt unfairly shut out by this process, and that earned the game even more disdain. The fact that Tencent secretly funded the game — without any fanfare — didn’t help either.
So What Was It That Ultimately Killed Highguard?
Upon release, Highguard did initially generate a decent audience. But the player base quickly dipped down into disturbing numbers, with the developers looking to blame someone for the failure. There was blame put on the market, and others felt the “fickle” nature of the gaming audience was a problem. However, when it comes down to it, Highguard was simply trying to fit into a multiplayer market already flooded with games.
Marvel Rivals immediately comes to mind. NetEase continues to give this game the right level of support, complete with new additions (Deadpool, for one) and consistent player support. And, of course, Fortnite is still unstoppable, especially with its many crossover characters and widespread appeal.
Between the lackluster reveal, the missing information, and trying to find a moderate reason to play, Highguard eventually started to fade out. It got to the point that Wildlight had to lay off several team members, holding onto just a certain few in the hopes that playerinterest would return. Alas, that interest never came back, and now there’s only a few days left to enjoy it.
At a Time When Single Player Was Needed, Highguard Didn’t Have It
Despite what Electronic Arts (and, for that matter, Sony) has said in the past, there is still a strong market for single player games. Best-selling titles like God of War: Ragnarok and Elden Ring have clearly proven this, and there’s heavy demand for big companies like Microsoft and Sony to produce such titles.
That said, the companies are still trying to make multiplayer-focused games work. Sony is still attempting to push its Horizon Hunters Gathering co-op multiplayer affair for this year; and Bungie, with possibly one last “gasp” before being absorbed into PlayStation business, is trying its hardest with Marathon, which just launched. (That depends how demand goes, though the results of the recent “Server Slam” test don’t look promising.)
Having lost millions of dollars like Sony did on Concord (though likely not as much), Highguard could serve as an example of what people are looking for in the gaming market. Naturally, fingers will point in many directions, but the reasoning is clear. Players wanted Highguard to be more like a single-player adventure (and a bad-ass one at that), and not another multiplayer fest that required hours of investment (and leveling up) to really get the ball rolling.
There is room for success in the multiplayer arena, but it depends on the approach. Arc Raiders has the formula just right, acquiring hundreds of thousand players. And Sony managed to capture lightning in a bottle with Helldivers 2, so much that it recently brought the experience to Xbox. (With great results, mind you.)
But it’s a tricky tightrope to walk. If you introduce a game, it should be on its own merits, not simply out of favor to someone. Furthermore, consistent information helps to keep players interested before the game arrives. See criticism? Tackle it head-on and explain why the game deserves a chance to shine. Radio silence is just as bad as a horrible answer to a question. It shows a lack of confidence in the product.
Highguard, We Barely Knew Ye
There were some interesting aspects to Highguard that could’ve been implemented into game design, especially the attacks on horseback. But between a ballooning budget, a lack of proper advertising, ongoing controversy, and a crowded market of more popular titles, this game just didn’t have the sharpness to keep in the fight.
Some players will certainly miss it. And who knows, maybe one day, someone will work the formula into a better title. But for now, let Highguard serve as yet another example of the importance of reading the market before you jump in with both feet.
Here’s hoping the remaining team can find ample work somewhere in the industry. Hopefully with single player games.
Need a more fun game to enjoy? Check out our interview with the team behind Fur Squadron Phoenix!
