Highguard, a free-to-play game from developer Wildlight, debuted with high player numbers on Steam, then experienced a sharp drop in just one day. This phenomenon was widely discussed because it showed the gap between launch hype and player retention the following day. The early data was also accompanied by unfavorable review responses, raising questions about the quality of the release and the technical readiness of the game on PC.
It was crowded at the beginning
Paul Tassi's Forbes article mentions that Highguard was helped by the big spotlight after appearing as the closing segment at The Game Awards. This exposure encouraged many people to try the game, especially since the model is free-to-play and is also encouraged by streaming on Twitch.
On the first day, Highguard recorded around 97,000 peak concurrent players on Steam. But on the second day, that peak dropped to around 19,000 and didn't break 20,000. The comparison equates to a drop of about 80% in 24 hours. This figure refers to Steam only and does not include console players.
Technical factors and flavor issues of playing Highguard
This kind of rapid decline is usually related to two things: technical issues and player incompatibility with gameplay. In the same article, it was mentioned that Highguard is not considered to run smoothly on PC and the developer is working on improvements. Performance, connection, and stability issues at release often make players quit quickly, especially in competitive games that demand quick responses.
Aside from the technicalities, there's also the “just one try” factor. Some players find a game to be “okay”, but not interesting enough to play again the next day. This is important because free-to-play games rely heavily on retention, rather than just being busy at release.
Steam review and debate on “review bombing”
Highguard also faces a heavy early reputation record. The article mentions that the Steam review score is around 37% positive and in the “Mostly Negative” category. These ratings suggest the problems players are having are not minor, though it remains possible that some of the reviews are the result of short play sessions or server glitches.
There is debate about whether the game received a “hostile” response from parts of the community who wanted to see it fail. However, the author of the article doesn't think that narrative is strong enough, and doesn't see a big indication that this is a case of review bombs due to cultural issues.
Highguard dead on arrival?
The main conclusion is simple: it's too soon to call Highguard a “flop” after just 48 hours, but the second day's Steam numbers and the “Mostly Negative” label is an unhealthy early sign. Technical fixes on PC, gameplay loop refinements, and improved update quality going forward will determine whether the game can find a core audience that will stick around in the weeks and months to come.
