Highguard's Game Awards reveal drew hostility, then developer silence

Pcgamer reports Geoff Keighley closed last year's Game Awards with a trailer for an unknown hero shooter called Highguard, and the social media reaction was instantly hostile.

Viewers framed the reveal as a 'one more thing' trespasser that had claimed an unearned seat of honor, though the developer did not pay for the slot as many assumed. The piece says the reveal has become a case study in poor announcement strategy, and that some Highguard developers did post on social media afterward — one later wrote, "Day 1 of being a game dev with a public-facing game and I got 75+ quote retweets personally ripping me apart, simply for being excited to share what I poured myself into for years." It also notes there's no evidence of malfeasance in former Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends developers making another shooter.

The article argues silence can be an understandable response to hostile attention and personal attacks, and suggests the uproar may not determine the game's fate. "Whatever happens next week, I really doubt it hinges on whether they did or didn't feed us enough marketing," the author writes, leaving open how players will ultimately respond.

Key Topics

Culture, Highguard, Game Awards, Geoff Keighley, Wildlight Entertainment, Apex Legends