Highguard revealed at Game Awards after planned shadowdrop

Kotaku reports Wildlight Entertainment revealed its debut multiplayer hero shooter Highguard with a trailer closing the Game Awards, despite originally planning a surprise shadowdrop, studio cofounder Chad Grenier said at a preview event.

The studio, founded by ex-Respawn staffers, rushed the trailer at the request of “Geoff,” Grenier said, and intentionally stayed quiet afterward. The trailer omitted the gameplay loop and drew mixed social media reactions and speculation about the launch; Kotaku and other media were invited to a launch event in Los Angeles on January 21.

Wildlight described Highguard as part hero shooter, part MOBA and part MMORPG raid, centered on fighting over a Shieldbreaker artifact and deploying it inside an enemy base. The team — roughly 100 people, about 60 percent of whom previously worked at Respawn — is self-publishing the game and plans a January 26 launch, and said it will let the game speak for itself amid uncertainty over whether it can find a large enough audience.