Well, that’s it. We’ve heard literally nothing about Highguard since its infamous Game Awards finale debut, and now we have a release date. Developer Wildlight decided it was time to start talking about it, but mainly let the game speak for itself.

While this isn’t a complete Apex Legends launch, with Wildlight sharing a previous developer, High Guard still arrives in a fog of confusion considering we’ve already seen the trailer and knew the release date. Today’s developer streamB) Lifting embargoes on Creator Events and Sponsored Streams, and C) Actual start of day (must be 10:00 AM Pacific Time, 1:00 PM Eastern Time). The public stream appears to be happening in conjunction with the actual launch. I think you can watch it while downloading it.

While the initial buzz around the creator event seems positive, it should be taken with a grain of salt when considering what is or should not be leaked now that the embargo is about to be lifted. The game is said to be difficult to compare to others, with the idea of ​​a “raid shooter” fusing concepts in a way that’s hard to explain. I wish I could explain it before today, but here I am.

Obviously, playing a free game is the ultimate test for fans, but all eyes will no doubt be on Steamcharts to see if this is “Concord 2.” Given that the game is free, I don’t think it will be anything close to that, but it could be “not bad” or “good”, so we’ll have to wait and see. Still, there’s only so much you can say on the first day. This number can increase due to word of mouth, but if it decreases quickly afterwards, that’s a very bad sign.

Twitch’s numbers skyrocket because the promotion side of creators always involves paying a bunch of big-name streamers to play for X amount of hours during and after release. But the test will be whether the same creators will stay there or go back to “business as usual” by the end of the paid period. It’s very difficult to break into the field of PvP shooters in the current era, but 2025 has brought us two great examples: Marvel Rivals and ARC Raiders. However, they had largely positive perceptions prior to release. Highguard had a somewhat underwhelming debut at the Game Awards, but then… nothing happened until today.

It’s certainly possible that High Guard is really good. All doubts will be answered when you consider that the concept and gameplay are similar to those that inspired the blockbuster Apex Legends. Of course, the opposite is also true, and we’ve seen it time and time again with underwhelming launches and early players quickly leaving.

The thing about all this mystery is that we can’t predict with certainty what’s going to happen here. Stream at 10am PT and see you at 11am PT for this launch.

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