'When Did It Become Trendy to Hate on a New Game?' — as Highguard Struggles to Win Over the Internet, Video Game Developers Come to Its Defense

A fig of high-profile video crippled developers person defended Highguard amid an online backlash during the game’s launch.

The free-to-play “PvP raid shooter” was the large caller crippled uncover astatine the extremity of past month’s The Game Awards, but developer Wildlight past went acheronian until the January 26 merchandise day successful a bid to transmission the palmy shadowdrop of Apex Legends backmost successful 2019.

At launch, Highguard deed a highest of 97,249 concurrent users connected Steam — a important fig for immoderate caller crippled motorboat connected Valve’s level — but astatine the aforesaid clip Wildlight has had to contend with a “mostly negative” idiosyncratic reappraisal rating. Meanwhile, Steam concurrents person fallen, and Highguard has slipped retired of the apical 100 most-played games database connected Valve's platform.

Chief among the criticisms from players is that the size of the representation feels excessively large and bare for a 3v3 competitory shooter. You’re capable to summon a equine to get astir faster (the mounts are 1 facet of Highguard that players look to universally like), but immoderate judge a 4v4, 5v5, oregon adjacent 3v3v3 mode would person been a amended fit.

There are besides complaints astir the resource-gathering signifier of each map, which involves what immoderate are calling boring mining and loot farming. The gist present is determination is excessively overmuch downtime and a deficiency of excitement, though players look to beryllium enjoying the raid signifier of each match, wherever combat is concentrated. There is besides disapproval of the plan of the playable characters, Highguard’s creation direction, and a deficiency of contented — arsenic good arsenic show problems peculiarly connected PC.

Through it each is simply a feeling that Highguard possibly suffered from being the “one much thing” uncover astatine The Game Awards, wherever it mightiness person amended managed expectations successful a slot earlier successful the show. Wildlight unit person indicated they primitively planned a existent Apex Legends-style shadowdrop for Highguard, but The Game Awards main Geoff Keighley asked the squad astir featuring it astatine the extremity of the show. Keighley has subsequently suffered a backlash of his own, with immoderate feeling Highguard’ presumption successful The Game Awards’ moving bid overly hyped the game.

Opening X this morning! pic.twitter.com/NQXGvOvjYL

Now, developers from the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 workplace Larian arsenic good arsenic Fortnite shaper Epic person deed retired astatine the sermon surrounding Highguard, and the internet’s capableness to “hate” connected video games astatine launch. Developers similar Cliff Bleszinski of Gears of War fame, Epic enforcement Mark Rein, and Larian brag Swen Vincke spoke up against, successful particular, negativity from critics.

“I don’t similar radical s****ing connected things others person created,” Vincke tweeted. “Putting thing retired into the satellite makes you vulnerable, and that unsocial deserves respect, adjacent if you dislike the creation. It’s casual to destruct things, it’s a batch harder to physique them. The champion critics recognize this. Even erstwhile they’re being critical, they bash their champion not to beryllium hurtful."

Vincke went connected to suggest a Metacritic-style scoring strategy for reviewers, based connected however others measure their criticism. “I similar to ideate it would promote a spot much restraint,” helium said. “The harsh words bash existent damage. You shouldn't person to turn callus connected your psyche conscionable due to the fact that you privation to people something.”

He continued: “And yes — I get that if radical are charging money, you privation to cognize if it's bully oregon not. But reviewers tin conscionable accidental — I didn't bask it oregon I don't deliberation it's good made oregon I don't deliberation it's worthy the wealth they are charging. That's enough. No request to get idiosyncratic for the involvement of immoderate likes.“

And successful a follow-up post, Vincke added: “What I'm trying to accidental is that astir originative souls are delicate souls and those delicate souls are the ones that attraction the most. When they cheque retired due to the fact that they can't grip the vitriol, we each suffer due to the fact that what's near are those that don't care. The effect the words person connected those delicate souls whitethorn not beryllium underestimated. You don't privation them to suffer their idealism and emotion of players.

“There's different ways of dealing with subordinate exploitation. Not playing the games is astir apt the champion one. You don't person to verbally wounded the radical down the crippled to explicit your disdain. If capable radical halt playing the games that don't respect players, those successful complaint volition get the connection and alteration people soon. There's capable different games there.”

Cliff Bleszinski, whose ain unrecorded work shooter LawBreakers was a commercialized failure, starring to the closure of his studio, asked: “When did it go trendy to hatred connected a caller game? Been seeing it much and much successful caller years. It's exhausting.”

“It’s downright horrible,” Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games, commented. “Especially a FREE crippled from a caller studio. Just truthful sad. This is simply a hobby for people, they should attack with joyousness not hatred.”

The world is that Wildlight faces an uphill situation turning online sentiment astir its unrecorded work shooter around, and the workplace volition beryllium peculiarly acrophobic by Highguard’s Steam idiosyncratic reappraisal rating, which remains ‘mostly negative.’ Currently, 37% of the 19,439 idiosyncratic reviews are positive; Wildlight plans to proceed to update Highguard with assorted patches, and has announced its 2026 roadmap of content.

Meanwhile, Keighley responded to 1 idiosyncratic connected societal media who asked if helium had a fiscal involvement successful Highguard’s success. “lol perfectly not,” helium said.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].