"I wish Highguard had been received better," CEO admits, after cancelling a planned Apex Legends-style shadow drop when Geoff Keighley said "let me do something"

1. Games
2. FPS Games

"I wish Highguard had been received better," CEO admits, after cancelling a planned Apex Legends-style shadow drop when Geoff Keighley said "let me do something" News By Austin Wood published 26 January 2026

Highguard's reveal at The Game Awards did not have the desired effect, you could say

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Wildlight Studios) Share Share by:

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google

Self-described PvP raid shooter Highguard is finally out, several weeks after a show-ending reveal at The Game Awards which sparked a mix of confusion, disappointment, and cautious optimism. Dusty Welch, CEO and cofounder of developer Wildlight Entertainment, admits the whole thing could have gone better – and it turns out Highguard was originally planning on a full Apex Legends-style shadow drop to begin with.

"Look, I wish Highguard had been received better. I wish the feedback had been better," Welch tells PC Gamer. "Part of that's on us, right? We didn't put our heads in the sand. We, as a team, saw the feedback. We're gamers ourselves. We're online ourselves reading the feedback. I think, ultimately, we could have made a different trailer – a better trailer that wasn't about entertaining, which is what we think [The Game Awards] was about."

Fellow Wildlight cofounder Chad Grenier tells Kotaku that this Game Awards trailer was "rushed" together after an offer from show host Geoff Keighley.

You may like

• Highguard will hold a launch showcase next week after 43 days of silence following odd Game Awards reveal
• Hours after launch, Highguard has "Mostly Negative" reviews and a peak of 97,000 players on Steam
• Arc Raiders was going to be a cross "between Shadow of the Colossus, Left 4 Dead, and PUBG" according to dev, who says Embark initially had no idea "what kind of game loop we were supposed to have"

"We’ve known Geoff for a long time, and he said, ‘let me do something,’ that’s maybe a little risky in hindsight – but different, [to] take a free to play PvP Raid Shooter and do something with it," Grenier says.

Before this, throughout Highguard's four years of development, the launch plan was always a true shadow drop: reveal and release, bam. "We were gonna do a shadowdrop, you know, since day one, almost since forming this company; we did it with Apex and it worked well," Grenier adds.

Welch also commented on the game's TGA showing, and Keighley's offer: "Geoff's a friend of the studio. He came in and he played the game a couple of times, and he loved it. So when he said, 'Look, I'd love to do something different and put an indie studio and a free-to-play game up here and put it in the show,' I mean, as an indie who was unknown by choice, who wouldn't jump at the chance to do that? Here's the biggest platform [in gaming], right?"

This reveal didn't have the desired effect, and Wildlight's total silence in the aftermath – only broken today by a launch showcase that began as the game was released – allowed doubts to fester. But this quiet period was also part of the plan, design and creative director James McCord tells PC Gamer, and the team's perspective remains unchanged: "The key is, you've got to play the game."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Highguard's prospects remain unclear, but it certainly hasn't gone the way of Concord with a total failure to launch. At the time of writing, SteamDB shows Highguard has peaked at over 84,000 players – a number that continued to rise as I wrote this article. Its Twitch category is currently sitting at 363,000 viewers.

The game is free-to-play and out now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. A new "Episode" of content, adding a new playable hero, a fourth mount type, and ranked mode is coming in two weeks.

Here are all the biggest new games of 2026 and beyond.

CATEGORIES PC Gaming Xbox Series X PS5 Platforms Xbox PlayStation Austin WoodSocial Links NavigationSenior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

Show More Comments

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Highguard will hold a launch showcase next week after 43 days of silence following odd Game Awards reveal    Hours after launch, Highguard has "Mostly Negative" reviews and a peak of 97,000 players on Steam    Arc Raiders was going to be a cross "between Shadow of the Colossus, Left 4 Dead, and PUBG" according to dev, who says Embark initially had no idea "what kind of game loop we were supposed to have"    Titanfall and Apex Legends devs have a new shooter out in less than 2 months: Highguard launches in January 2026    As Splitgate 2 prepares to release for a second time, design director says the team has handled "a challenging situation with honesty, humility, and grit"    New FPS from Titanfall devs shows signs of life after weeks of radio silence, and just days before its release date    Latest in FPS Games Hours after launch, Highguard has "Mostly Negative" reviews and a peak of 97,000 players on Steam    What time does Highguard release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X?    Master Chief actor didn't like Halo 5's misleading ads because they made it harder to "stay true to the character"    Highguard will hold a launch showcase next week after 43 days of silence following odd Game Awards reveal    Gearbox is "avoiding nerfs" for Borderlands 4: "I wholeheartedly want to avoid ruining someone's countless hours"    Battlefield 6 was the US' best-selling game of 2025, finally dethroning Call of Duty after a 23-year-long feud    Latest in News The Penguin breakout star Cristina Milioti says Sofia Falcone is "definitively not" in The Batman 2    Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 uses Unreal Engine 4 because "we're already familiar" with it, director explains    As GTA 6 looms near Fable's fall release date, Xbox Game Studios head isn't super worried about Rockstar    "I wish Highguard had been received better," CEO admits, after cancelling a planned Apex Legends-style shadow drop    Prince of Persia remake cancellation is "the most devastating moment" of voice actor's career after 3 years of work    Diablo 4 is "the best selling Blizzard game of all time," according to marketing lead    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Code Vein 2 review: "This vampire take on Elden Ring almost works, but the dungeons themselves lack bite"
2. 2Looking for a good 2-player board game? This superhero adventure is worth suiting up for
3. 3Trails Beyond the Horizon review: "This JRPG's thrilling real-time and turn-based hybrid combat is finely balanced"
4. 4Scythe review: "This alt-history board game is still a gold standard for modern strategy"
5. 5Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"

1. 1Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
2. 228 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
3. 3Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
4. 4Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
5. 5Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"

1. 1Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
2. 2Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
3. 3A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
4. 4Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
5. 5Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”