{"id":2312399,"date":"2026-03-04T17:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T17:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2312399"},"modified":"2026-03-04T17:25:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T17:25:00","slug":"how-highguard-became-gamings-next-concord-in-just-45-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/how-highguard-became-gamings-next-concord-in-just-45-days\/","title":{"rendered":"How Highguard Became Gaming\u2019s Next Concord in Just 45 Days"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wildlight Entertainment has announced that it\u2019s shutting down Highguard <\/em>just 45 days after its launch. How did a new game from the creators of Apex Legends <\/em>fall apart so quickly? Here is everything that went wrong with Highguard<\/em>, and how The Game Awards reveal quickly became the next Concord<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Highguard Shutdown Timeline \u2013 How the Game Collapsed in 45 Days<\/h2>\n
Screenshot: Wildlight Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a March 3 post on X, Wildlight Entertainment announced that they were permanently shutting down<\/a> Highguard <\/em>after failing to \u201csustain enough players\u201d for it. The news was surprising, given that just over 2 months ago, the multiplayer title was featured as the final reveal at The Game Awards 2025.<\/p>\n

The game\u2019s quick closure immediately drew comparisons to Sony\u2019s failed hero shooter<\/a> Concord<\/em>, which shut down just two weeks after it launched in 2024. How did a project developed by one of the most talented teams in the industry fail this quickly? We are going to take a look back at the timeline of events that led to Highguard <\/em>shutting down.<\/p>\n

\"Highguard
Screenshot: YouTube The Game Awards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the controversy surrounding Highguard<\/em> can be traced back to The Game Awards on December 11, 2025. As the awards show was about to come to a close, host Geoff Keighley announced the usual \u201cone more surprise\u201d reveal. After a lengthy monologue hyping up the secret project, Keighley unveiled Highguard<\/em><\/a> <\/em>for the first time to the gaming masses.<\/p>\n

The only problem is, the announcement completely fell flat. Instead of being a successful showcase for Highguard<\/em>, the reveal ended up becoming the catalyst for intense online backlash. You see, many players were disappointed in The Game Awards\u2019 \u201cfinal reveal\u201d and didn\u2019t believe Highguard <\/em>was a good enough of a surprise. Instead, fans of the show expected a major IP like Elden Ring<\/em> or Naughty Dog\u2019s Intergalactic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"TGA
Screenshot: Wildlight Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Immediately after The Game Awards ended, the entire narrative overshadowing the show was its \u201cdisappointing final reveal.\u201d However, this disappointment soon transformed into mockery of Highguard<\/em>, as players turned their anger toward the game itself. Even though none of this was Wildlight Entertainment\u2019s fault, the new multiplayer became \u201cuncool\u201d in the eyes of many gamers and became a constant punching bag on social media.<\/p>\n

Wildlight Entertainment Goes Silent After Game Awards Controversy<\/h2>\n

After facing a growing mountain of backlash, Wildlight Entertainment unsurprisingly went silent following the controversial Game Awards reveal. I mean, can you entirely blame them? By early January, Highguard <\/em>had practically become a mainstream meme, with a level of mean-spiritedness surrounding it that was overwhelming.<\/p>\n

However, because of this silence, many players had forgotten that the game was even launching. So when Wildlight Entertainment reappeared on social media<\/a> in late January and revealed that Highguard <\/em>would release on January 26, 2026, it took many by surprise. Because there was no marketing in the lead-up, hype for the game was in a weird place in terms of player awareness and anticipation. <\/p>\n

Highguard Launches \u2013 But Steam Player Numbers Quickly Collapse<\/h2>\n
\"Highguard
Screenshot: Steam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Highguard <\/em>officially launched on January 26, 2026, and initially was off to a respectable start. Within the first hour, it peaked at 97,249 active players on Steam, according to SteamDB. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse as that player count not only failed to rise, but quickly started to plummet<\/a> just a few hours after it went live. What went wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n

Many players jumping into the game for the first time weren\u2019t loving it. Some of the major complaints from players included:<\/p>\n