Highguard’s player count dropped so fast that some gamers are asking for an apology

Highguard was announced only last month at The Game Awards, and despite that announcement being met with some disdain, the expertise of an Apex Legends and Titanfall dev background gave us something to cling to. We’d say it’s fair to have expected a smooth, fast-paced multiplayer shooter. It’s also fair to say that the launch yesterday hasn’t really gone to plan.

Launch numbers initially looked decently strong. According to SteamDB, Highguard reached a peak of 97,249 concurrent players on Steam, but that didn’t last long. Within just a few hours, the player count dropped sharply, falling to around 11,000 players. That kind of drop in such a short time usually points to serious problems, and the community was quick to react.

Highguard player count drops and negative Steam reviews

Players quickly took to social media to share their frustration. Geoff Keighley, the creator and host of The Game Awards, where Highguard got a prominent end-of-show advertisement slot, has been hyping up the game heavily in the build-up to launch. A post on X simply reading “Thoughts on Highguard so far?” was met with plenty of negative reactions. Some people have even asked for Keighley to apologize for the build-up. If you were disappointed, at least the game costs nothing to try out.

One of the most common complaints is performance. Some players questioned how a six-player game can run worse than Battlefield 6, which supports 64-player matches. Many feel the game was released too early and was not ready for the level of attention it received.

Steam reviews tell a similar story. In less than a day, Highguard has already received over 15,000 reviews, with 68% marked as negative at the time of writing this. This has resulted in a Mostly Negative rating on the platform. While some players say the shooting itself feels decent, much feedback highlights design and technical issues.

A major complaint is the game’s structure. Players say the maps are far too large for a 3v3 format, which leads to long periods of running without much action. Instead of feeling fast and intense, matches often feel empty and slow. The looting phase is also criticized, as players are asked to mine resources to buy upgrades, which doesn’t fit well with the idea of a fast-paced shooter. Several reviews suggest that larger modes, such as 10v10, would better fit the map size and overall design.

Visual clarity and audio are also big problems. Many players report blurry visuals, unclear objectives, and confusing sound direction. In some cases, enemies sound like they are above or behind you when they are not. This makes combat feel unreliable and frustrating. The art style has also been criticized for trying to do too much at once, mixing fantasy elements, guns, magic, and siege weapons without a clear focus.

Another issue is the lack of content at launch. Highguard currently offers only one game mode. Players who don’t enjoy that mode have no alternatives. While some players believe the game could improve with updates, the early response has been overwhelmingly negative, and it seems like a long road back for Wildlight Entertainment if they want to claw back a fanbase.