Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says "game development runs on optimism" as the industry comes to Highguard's defense following a messy launch: "It is easy to celebrate failure"

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Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says "game development runs on optimism" as the industry comes to Highguard's defense following a messy launch: "It is easy to celebrate failure" News By Anna Koselke published 29 January 2026

It's not been easy for a game put together by talent from Apex Legends and Titanfall

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Highguard, the new free-to-play shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, hasn't exactly been in the limelight for a good reason the past few days, racking up "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam in hours – but fellow developers are stepping up to the plate in the game's defense.

Just yesterday, Baldur's Gate 3 director and Larian Studios lead Swen Vincke said, "I don't like people s***ing on things" as "it's easy to destroy things, it's a lot harder to build them" – a sentiment other devs would apparently likely agree with. One such dev is Thomas Puha, communications director at Remedy Entertainment, the studio behind Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2. A recent online post from Puha proves as much.

Tired of seeing headlines of how many players Highguard has lost. Like, sure, you can argue that's putting facts out there, but I cant escape the feeling there's just this "celebration" of a game doing badly and just putting out negative headlines for the sake of it. Shouldnt us…January 28, 2026

"Tired of seeing headlines of how many players Highguard has lost," he writes, echoing Vincke's sentiment that there's just a tad bit too much negativity in the gaming sphere. "Like, sure, you can argue that's putting facts out there, but I can't escape the feeling there's just this 'celebration' of a game doing badly and just putting out negative headlines for the sake of it. Shouldn't us game devs even try?" He's not alone, either. In response to Puha, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing director Michael 'Cromwelp' Douse recalls a moment at the DICE Summit. "I remember standing on stage at DICE *trying* to see eye to eye with an executive audience who didn't - couldn't - figure out what they should be making, or even trying. It is funny in a way that the closer we all got to the audience, the further the industry got from understanding what it should be making," he says.

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• As Highguard is trashed online, Baldur's Gate 3 boss Swen Vincke says "I don't like people s***ing on things"
• Hours after launch, Highguard has "Mostly Negative" reviews and a peak of 97,000 players on Steam
• Highguard's Steam rating goes from 'Mostly Negative' to 'Mostly Positive' when filtering reviews by playtime

"Caught in the crossfire of uncertainty are mistakes & the faces behind them. But while they aren't the cause of the mistakes, they are in fact the reason for any successes," continues Douse. "It is easy to celebrate failure because there's security in feeling right, but I hope everyone finds enough to cling onto to break that cycle of cynicism. Game development runs on optimism in contrast with economics."

His words pair well with Vincke and Puha's own – that negativity (or the ability to "destroy things," as the Baldur's Gate 3 boss put it) is easy, but optimism is far more important in the sense of a game's success and its devs' ability to thrive. As Douse puts it, "If the optimism & enthusiasm disappear at the same rate as the economics shrink, it's gonna get messy." That isn't likely to happen all at once, however.

I remember standing on stage at DICE *trying* to see eye to eye with an executive audience who didn't - couldn't - figure out what they should be making, or even trying. It is funny in a way that the closer we all got to the audience, the further the industry got from… https://t.co/k63Mwp7IW2January 28, 2026

"Thankfully, there are hyper-engaged audiences and low-cost opportunities all over the place. It's just getting much harder to cut through the noise," as he concludes. On the bright side, when it comes to Highguard in particular, things might just be looking up – Wildlight has said it's "listening to feedback and working to add some highly requested features" as the first big patch nears. The shooter could just see a bit of a reversal in feedback after all.

It's also important to note that when reviews for Highuard are filtered to only show those who have played more than three hours, the rating actually rises from "Mostly Negative" to "Mostly Positive" – and I'm sure there's something to be said there.

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CATEGORIES PC Gaming Platforms Anna KoselkeSocial Links NavigationStaff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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Logout Read more As Highguard is trashed online, Baldur's Gate 3 boss Swen Vincke says "I don't like people s***ing on things"    Hours after launch, Highguard has "Mostly Negative" reviews and a peak of 97,000 players on Steam    Highguard's Steam rating goes from 'Mostly Negative' to 'Mostly Positive' when filtering reviews by playtime    Former FPS pro Shroud says Highguard's "vision is there," but tech problems are holding the fantasy shooter back    New FPS Highguard has a full year of updates "deep in development," split up to counteract "live-service fatigue"    "I wish Highguard had been received better," CEO admits, after cancelling a planned Apex Legends-style shadow drop    Latest in FPS Games How Highguard crossplay works and how to play with your friends    Highguard's Steam rating goes from 'Mostly Negative' to 'Mostly Positive' when filtering reviews by playtime    Following a divisive launch, Highguard devs have been "working to add some highly requested features"    Former FPS pro Shroud says Highguard's "vision is there," but tech problems are holding the fantasy shooter back    All Highguard Wardens and the best ones to pick for victory    New FPS Highguard has a full year of updates "deep in development," split up to counteract "live-service fatigue"    Latest in News Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says "game development runs on optimism" as the industry comes to Highguard's defense    Matthew Lillard says his Stu Macher Scream 7 return is "a gamble of legacy"    Hytale devs looking to "speed up production" with weekly pre-release updates and aims to be "more adventurous"    Sinners director Ryan Coogler has filled in the gaps on what happened to Smoke and Stack before they left for Chicago    Monster Hunter Wilds Steam reviews on the mend following Capcom's latest performance patch    Fallout fans have a grim theory about Thaddeus' future, and he might be turning into one of the games' gnarliest enemies    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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