Key Takeaways
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- Highguards debut at The Game Awards 2025 was met with criticism and comparisons to Concord, due to the involvement of developers who previously worked on Concord.
- Highguard is a free-to-play PvP FPS developed by Wildlight Entertainment, featuring a futuristic medieval setting, mounts, destructible environments, and objective-based gameplay.
- The games storyline has Wardens battling for control of a legendary continent, with the central objective being to capture the Shieldbreaker and raid enemy bases.
- Despite Wildlights pedigree from successful franchises such as Call of Duty and Apex Legends, initial impressions suggest that Highguard may face challenges in appealing to an audience familiar with free-to-play competitive shooters.
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Highguard’s Debut at The Game Awards 2025 – New FPS Sparks Controversy as Concord Comparisons Abound
Highguard’s reveal at The Game Awards 2025 has been met with considerable criticism. Trailers for the new free-to-play PvP FPS, released on various YouTube channels, have received overwhelmingly negative reviews and comments. This negativity extends across all trailer uploads. Commenters express skepticism about Highguard, with many describing it as an unoriginal free-to-play shooter too similar to existing games. The most frequent criticism compares it directly to Concord, with some calling Highguard “Concord 2.” This association stems from the involvement of developers who previously worked on Concord, raising concerns that the new title may repeat past mistakes. Wildlight Entertainment, founded in 2021 by Apex Legends and Titanfall veterans Dusty Welch and Chad Grenier, is developing Highguard. These developers, original minds behind Titanfall and Apex Legends who left Respawn Entertainment to form Wildlight, are evolving the hero shooter formula. While Highguard departs from the battle royale format, it adopts elements from Apex Legends and refines them into an objective-based raid shooter.
Highguard’s Futuristic Medieval PvP FPS Launches January 2026 – Quest for Shieldbreaker Amidst Mixed Expectations
The storyline blends high fantasy with science fiction. For example, arcane gunslingers ride horses and command eagle familiars, while wielding futuristic firearms and harnessing unique powers. The studio emphasizes its collective experience on successful franchises, including multiple Call of Duty games, claiming that Highguard was born from lessons learned during those projects. In Highguard, players become Wardens—arcane gunslingers battling for control of a legendary continent. Gameplay revolves around Warden crews clashing for the Shieldbreaker and raiding enemy bases, using airships and other support elements. Wardens fight to control the Shieldbreaker and breach enemy strongholds to seize territory. The game combines futuristic weaponry with medieval-inspired mounts and destructible environments. The game’s Steam page is currently live. Highguard is scheduled to launch on January 26, 2026, as a free-to-play title with crossplay and cross-progression across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. However, the negative reception to the trailers suggests that Wildlight’s pedigree has not resonated with potential players. Highguard is presented as a free-to-play PvP FPS focused on territory conquest, emphasizing mounted combat and a competitive gameplay loop. Despite these features, initial impressions suggest they have not sufficiently appealed to an audience already familiar with free-to-play competitive shooters.
Refining Highguard’s Launch Amidst Mixed Expectations (Pre-Release Player Reactions)
With its release date still distant, Highguard has an opportunity to refine its presentation. For now, the player reaction following The Game Awards 2025 indicates a difficult launch.
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