🚨 HIGHGUARD STUDIO MELTDOWN – WORSE FLOP THAN CONCORD?! 97K PEAK to DEAD in DAYS! 😤💀🔥
Indie devs CRUMBLE under gamer rage – crashes, boring AF, “next hero shooter trash”! Review-bombed to OBLIVION, 94% player wipeout! TGA hype BACKFIRES into apocalypse… Or secret turnaround brewing?
The BRUTAL truth EXPOSED – devs COPING hard! 👇
Wildlight Entertainment’s Highguard, a free-to-play PvP raid shooter, has become the latest lightning rod in gaming’s culture wars, with its January 26 shadow-drop launch triggering a ferocious player backlash that has drawn comparisons – and in some eyes, surpassed – Sony’s infamous Concord flop. Viral YouTube videos scream “meltdown,” X posts declare it “generational FLOP,” and Steam reviews tank amid accusations of boring gameplay and technical woes. Studio co-founders, veterans of Call of Duty, Titanfall 2, Apex Legends, and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, insist they’re “pretty damn good at shooters” and unfazed, but a 94% player drop-off tells a grim tale.
The drama erupted at The Game Awards 2025, when Highguard closed the show – a slot Geoff Keighley hyped as the “next Apex Legends.” Instead, it sparked instant memes: “1:10 dislike ratio like Concord,” with gamers decrying yet another hero shooter in a saturated market. Wildlight opted for a stealth launch days later, bypassing hype to “let the game speak for itself.” It peaked at 97,249 concurrent Steam players but cratered to under 10,000 within 48 hours – a 92.9% plunge.
The Powder Keg: TGA Reveal and Shadow Drop Strategy
Highguard tasks teams of three Wardens – arcane gunslingers on mounts – to raid enemy bases amid magical storms, looting resources and planting bombs on generators. Monthly free Episodes promise new maps, modes, and loot. But the December 12, 2025, trailer drew fire for “bland” characters, a “mishmash” of Rust, Overwatch, and extraction shooters, and live-service fatigue post-Concord‘s shutdown.
Keighley defended it pre-launch with a “Jurassic Park” meme: “In 48 hours, I’ll be accepting your apologies.” Post-flop, he pivoted to a “share your controversial opinion” post. Wildlight’s co-founders told TheGamer: The TGA spot was Keighley’s idea after playtesting; backlash was “unexpected,” so they shadow-dropped for unfiltered feedback.
Highguard Steam Milestones (Jan 26- Feb 2, 2026)
Metric
Launch Peak Concurrent
97,249
24-Hour Drop
80%
48-Hour Drop
92.9% (to 6,927)
Current (~10:30 AM GMT+7)
~10,465
Player Gripes: Bugs, Boredom, and “Next Concord”
Steam reviews sit at Mixed (44% positive from 25,860), after dipping to Overwhelmingly Negative (21% early on). Top complaints: Crashes/disconnects, no chat/party system, “boring” gear-up on oversized maps, stale 3v3 raids, pricey in-game gold. One X user: “Played 2 games… WORSE than Concord.” VICE: “Tries to be too many games.” Review bombing amplified the pile-on, with some quitting after qualifiers-like intensity.
X erupted: “Highguard plat completed… lacking modes,” vs. “generational FLOP.” Broader fatigue: Hero shooters like LawBreakers, Paladins, Concord bombed; why another?
Highguard vs. Concord Launch Metrics
Highguard
Concord
Price
Free
$40
Steam Peak
97,249
697
24-Hour Retention Drop
80%
Near-total
Steam Reviews (Early)
21% Pos.
Overwhelmingly Neg.
Fate
Ongoing
Servers shut 2 wks.
Devs Dig In: “Optimism” Amid the Storm
Wildlight’s first patch added 5v5 mode and fixes, with PC optimization ongoing. Co-founders: “Game development runs on optimism”; not chasing launch peaks, focused on iteration. They crave single-player someday but see Highguard as a “rewarding experiment.”
High-profile allies rallied: Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Swen Vincke urged respect – “Easy to destroy, harder to build.” Gears vet Cliff Bleszinski: “Trendy to hate… exhausting.” Epic’s Mark Rein: “Horrible… FREE game from new studio.” Jeff Gerstmann countered: “Let people hate.”
Live-Service Blues and Culture Clash
Highguard joins Concord, Suicide Squad in live-service graveyard, amid “brainrot” from rage-bait YouTubers like Asmongold. Critics blame market saturation; defenders decry “knee-jerk” toxicity weaponizing drops. X: Some call hate “forced,” noting 10% retention beats Concord‘s end.
Wildlight eyes monthly updates for revival. Meltdown? Devs say no. But with players at 10% of peak, Highguard‘s raid on success hangs by a thread.
