Utvecklare från Larian, Remedy och 1047 Games försvarar Highguard när spelarklagomål fortsätter

Several developers have come to the defense of Highguard as it contends with continuous criticism from players and spectators. The game's reveal occurred at The Game Awards last year, followed by a period of silence before a last-minute marketing push. This created a sense of mystery around the title before its release. When it launched, a substantial initial player base was met with matchmaking issues.

Over time, the player count fell to around a still respectable 10-12k concurrent player count, while criticism continued. The developer 1047 Games, known for Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, expressed its support on social media.

"No game is perfect on day one (ours certainly wasn't). If you see potential, share feedback. It helps make the game better, and that's something we should all be rooting for. There's room for tons of great games. Wishing you success on Highguard, @WildlightEnt."

— 1047 Games

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded also faced harsh criticism when it transitioned from the original Splitgate to its sequel. The team at 1047 Games is continuing to improve the game, suggesting a potential path for Highguard's development.

“Sometimes I think it'd be a good idea for critics to be scored”

— Baldur's Gate 3 Studio CEO on game reviewers and criticism.

Thomas Puha, the communications director at Remedy, also provided support. Puha wrote on X about his frustration with the negative coverage.

"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. Shouldn't us game devs even try?"

— Thomas Puha

Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Larian, followed Puha's statement with his own thoughts on the industry's climate.

"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. Caught in the crossfire of uncertainty are mistakes & the faces behind them."

— Michael Douse

Douse continued by discussing the nature of success and failure in game development.

"But while they aren't the cause of the mistakes, they are in fact the reason for any successes. It is easy to celebrate failure because there's security in feeling right, but I hope everyone finds enough to cling onto to the break that cycle of cynicism. Game development runs on optimism in contrast with economics. If the optimism & enthusiasm disappears at the same rate as the economics shrink, it's gonna get messy. 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."

— Michael Douse

The core of the debate surrounding Highguard centers on the line between fair criticism and dog-piling, alongside a perceived culture of negativity within the games industry.

Read also, Highguard could receive a single-player mod in the future. The free-to-play first-person shooter is one of the biggest video game releases so far, developed by Wildlight Entertainment, a team that includes former developers from Apex Legends and Titanfall.