Highguard manages almost 100k Steam players on day one, amidst over 13k negative reviews
The game was the final announcement at The Game Awards in December
Free to play shooter Highguard has debuted to a strong playerbase on Steam, but the achievement has been softened somewhat by over 13 thousand negative Steam reviews.
Highguard was announced at The Game Awards, gaining a large amount of attention due to being the final game announced at the show.
This slot is usually reserved for announcements from large franchises or well-known studios, so a debut shooter being placed in the slot, followed by radio silence from developer Wildlight Entertainment, turned heads.
The game was released on Monday for PC and consoles, and has been met with a mixed reception from players online. However, Highguard has managed a strong start on Steam, at least when it comes to concurrent players.
According to SteamDB, the game managed a peak of 97,249 concurrent players on launch day. While these numbers are strong for a debut IP, the reviews paint a different picture.
At the time of writing, just 32.05% of the game’s reviews have been positive. The game currently has 6,027 positive reviews and 13,363 negative reviews. The game’s negative reviews have largely focused on the large map size, which some players say is too large for the 3vs3 matchups.
Highguard was developed by the California-based Wildlight Entertainment. Wildlight Entertainment includes veterans from Respawn who worked on the Apex Legends and Titanfall franchises, as well as former Call of Duty developers.
“We are driven by our deep passion for making AAA games that leave a lasting impact on the world and we match that drive with a commitment to quality in every aspect of our work,” reads a message on the developer’s LinkedIn.
“We foster a positive, supportive work environment built on mutual trust and open communication, where everyone has a voice and everyone is treated with respect. With a bias for action and a belief in each other, we’re betting on ourselves to deliver truly unforgettable gaming experiences.”
