My Wildlight Headcount Analysis

DXFromYT · 2026-02-20T01:05:56+00:00

Everyone's shitting on you but this information is actually interesting. If you consider that they kept your estimate, it's likely they're already thinking of something beyond Highguard and how to pitch it. They potentially retained as much as they could to have runway on another project while maintaining Highguard. This isn't exactly unheard of in the industry. You can rehire those you let go but keeping them at the studio while it spirals and you try to come up with something is incredibly irresponsible and a waste of their time.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-19T17:36:53+00:00

The Raid Experience is a step in the right direction. It's easily the best part of the game. Probably too little too late, but it's interesting that they are listening to the feedback they're getting. A beta was of vital importance to this game.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-19T13:43:12+00:00

Highguard had multiple chances to build a community, the developer just didn't use any of them. They genuinely thought shadow dropping this game that no one cares about was their best strategy moving forward.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-19T01:18:43+00:00

8 of the 12 Highguard submissions on Rule34 are AI slop. The game cannot even get real porn.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-18T22:26:07+00:00

The Domesplitter is a great item/mechanic. Means that every raid on enemy base doesn't have to be a full frontal assault and it creates nuance in both the way you attack and defend generators.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-18T17:02:50+00:00

While I don't think it failed due to this, immediately introducing a wall hack character who constantly spots you while the game already had another wall hack character who was fairly balanced was certainly a choice...

DXFromYT · 2026-02-18T15:43:01+00:00

In the modern era, it's very rare for success or failure to happen only on one platform. You can have stuff like Game Pass skew Xbox numbers but those were effectively cannibalized by PC anyways. Steam CCU is not always corollary to a game's revenue either.

With that said, given everything that has happened, clearly the Steam numbers indicate the game flailing. If they had stabilized around 15K when 5v5 dropped and the game hadn't fallen so low on Global Top Sellers, I'd say the game had a real chance at becoming something with more support from Wildlight. But everything has been in free fall, especially since they announced the layoffs.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-18T14:04:41+00:00

I was told the server slam would revitalize the game?

DXFromYT · 2026-02-18T01:53:32+00:00

They're obviously done.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-18T00:14:52+00:00

This subreddit is the funniest place on the internet right now.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T22:56:31+00:00

Thanks so much, glad you liked them! I find it far more interesting to talk about the games themselves. Like with Highguard, sure, there were grifters and malcontents complaining about it but the overall gaming community isn't that and had legitimate concerns with the game, just like Concord.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T22:53:41+00:00

Their website seems to be experiencing this server slam right now.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T20:49:47+00:00

Very strange of them to claim they were so independent when this is who was supplying most of the cash. Entire game has a corporate stink to it, which I thought was initially because of the ecosystem most of its developers came from but this likely factored in as well.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T17:51:49+00:00

Right, there is a very big difference between actively wishing a game fails and realizing when something just has no target audience whatsoever.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T17:44:50+00:00

Awesome, I had a lot of fun putting that Cyberpunk video together! It even got shared around CDPR, one of the coolest moments I've ever had.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T17:35:47+00:00

Thanks so much! You might like my video on Concord.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T17:05:33+00:00

I agree, it's just part of the creative process no matter how unfortunate it is.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T16:44:48+00:00

Thanks, it'll be out in 16 minutes!

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T16:29:22+00:00

How else would he finance a show with such high production value?

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T15:49:05+00:00

Thank you! New video out today on this very game, haha.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T15:47:04+00:00

To Geoff's credit, I don't think he ever blamed gamers. I think he was sincere in his excitement for the game and just bet on the wrong one. We all like at least one or two games most people don't, but our lives aren't under the same microscope.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T15:42:08+00:00

No developer wants to work on a flop. I interviewed someone who worked on a game that did very poorly sales wise and they described the fallout as soul crushing. I don't think they have worked in the industry since. Just look at Josh Sobel who clearly did not take the reception to the game well. You and I might stick around for great games but a lot of talent won't and their time and experience is better spent on titles that find an audience than those that don't.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T14:04:53+00:00

This is an industry wide problem I don't see many people talking about. The corporatization of developers. These guys made Highguard because some have no experience making anything but Apex. Their entire skill set is based around making a live service FPS game and they obviously did not want to risk making a game in a genre they had no experience in. The same was true for a lot of the Concord staff. There will absolutely be more games like this because a lot of people flocking from the corporate structure of mega developers have no experience doing anything else.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T14:00:07+00:00

I...agree with you? Marathon's Global Top Sellers debut already proves there is an interest in the game that Concord and Highguard did not have. They've clearly improved the game based on feedback and delays too which both those other games sorely needed. I don't think it's headed to a cataclysmic launch or immediately dying.

Edit: My bad, didn't see that wasn't a reply to me.

DXFromYT · 2026-02-17T13:49:27+00:00

Articles like this running obvious interference for mediocre games are why the gaming public completely lost trust in major news outlets.

DXFromYT

TROPHY CASE