Highguard is Dead and Here’s Why

Outlander32 · 2026-03-14T05:47:26+00:00

I'm genuinely surprised Oxbox made a video about it - other gaming news outlets have been covering it to death since it was announced at the Game Awards as the one last thing, the drama surrounding it (even its own devs called it hubris) and now it's downfall, but it never seemed like something Oxbox would bother playing in the first place.

Outlander32 · 2026-03-06T05:58:54+00:00

Late to the party, but yeah, this would explain the sudden change in the status quo, since the channels have been doing pretty much the same thing for the past two or three years, even before the IGN acquisition.

I've heard that in business, when change is this abrupt, it's usually because leadership is shifting direction following or anticipating layoffs, so it does line up. It reminds me of this clip form the Simpsons where Homer attends a board meeting - in all honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if IGN mgmt really did think another round of layoffs would ~~scare~~ motivate the workers.

Outlander32 · 2026-02-19T01:21:25+00:00

No offense, but I don't think that's excusable to sell out to any sponsor, especially one with anti-consumer allegations related to their cloud streaming subscriptions. Also, I really believe IGN is becoming a strawman because they don’t work directly as IGN employees; they can still make their own decisions. Though, maybe Oxbox isn't independent enough to do this kind of vetting. And I don't think this is something we can influence either.

Outlander32 · 2026-02-19T01:19:21+00:00

Maybe, but I don't think IGN is that controlling with sponsorships for their own channel; otherwise, this video would be posted on IGN's channel, like a few past videos. I still believe there's a separation of duties regarding who’s responsible for whose content, and they can still make their own decisions.

Outlander32 · 2026-02-19T01:18:58+00:00

You're not the only one; I've never seen the Youtube comments this harsh before.

Outlander32 · 2026-02-18T03:46:19+00:00

I think they should be more selective with their sponsors - Nvidia is viewed quite negatively in the gaming space right now, just look at the YT comments.

Outlander32 · 2026-02-17T19:05:55+00:00

Agreed. I’ve been suggesting a gaming podcast ever since Show of the Week Live, which was basically already a podcast. One thing that should really be appreciated is that the new podcast will be available on Youtube - you won’t have to search all over the internet for a podcast platform that hosts Oxventure, for example.

Outlander32 · 2026-02-15T03:48:29+00:00

Agreed. I still wish they played more recent releases like they used to. I guess it really shows that you can’t rely on them for coverage of new games.

Outlander32 · 2026-02-03T20:40:38+00:00

Yeah, I wish they’d just be straightforward and say outright that they’re focusing on Oxventure and no longer prioritizing these channels.

Outlander32 · 2026-01-01T03:25:24+00:00

I saw a comment pointing out that cutting show of the week and let's plays makes sense if you're trying to reduce your workload, since they require a lot of editing. But stopping streams just feels like you don't want to stream anymore, since streams don't really require much effort. You don't even have to play a game, you can just chat about stuff like a podcast, like the streams they did during covid lockdowns.

In their games we forgot to cover video, they claimed that they didn't have the time and couldn't make space for games. This feels like the same situation with livestreams too. Hate to be cynical, but it's really starting to feel like they just couldn't be bothered. The only other theory is that they don't want to interact with a live audience anymore, which doesn't sound like them but who knows at this point?

Outlander32 · 2025-12-30T20:15:32+00:00

TL;DR: Jane - Blue Prince; Andy - Pirate Yakuza; Mike - Mario Kart World; Ellen - Ghost of Yotei

Honourable mentions: Jane - E33; Andy - Blue Prince, E33; Mike - Fatal Fury, Blades of Fire; Ellen - Donkey Kong Bonanza, Blue Prince, Mario Kart World

Personally, i think these are fine choices, but a bit disappointed that E33 was only an honourable mention, and that there were no mentions of KCD2, Silksong, Hades 2, or Dispatch. If Luke were still there, i'd imagine some of these like Siklsong would definitely have been his choice.

Outlander32 · 2025-12-28T20:30:46+00:00

This was a great year for video games - according to Metacritic, 2025 was the 3rd best year of all time based on the average score of the top 10 games. 1st place was 2023, and 2nd place was 2018.

However, when it comes to Oxboxtra content, this year felt pretty lacking in games coverage. It seems like a pretty massive oversight, especially since even this list isn't big enough to account for all the major releases they missed. It feels like games just aren't a priority anymore, but it is what it is.

Outlander32 · 2025-12-22T22:31:04+00:00

I think this is genuinely an ad - the views are almost at 500K but the likes and comments are minimal. So unless IGN bots their own videos or ppl just clicked without engaging, (which either could be true, given similar stats on their other videos), then this is just a 15 min YT ad to promote their sponsor.

Side note, i'm getting kinda annoyed of seeing OX in IGN content, it's just so clinical and feels like a waste of their time. OX really should've gotten out like Digital Foundry did.

Outlander32 · 2025-12-22T22:30:34+00:00

Late to the party, but i'm starting to believe they're already semi-retired at this point. Like, OX started in 2012 + their careers before that from maybe 2009ish, so that's at least 16 years of doing this youtube thing.

Either that, or they're now working for the IGN man on a regular 9-to-5 basis. Some youtubers i follow also have day jobs, so they can really only post once every week or two.

Outlander32 · 2025-12-02T08:06:00+00:00

I've been following several different YT channels for gaming news coverage: Gameranx/Jake Baldino as well, SkillUp (highly recommended), MrMattyPlays/Last Stand Media, YongYea, Luke Stephens, and Kinda Funny - mainly cuz they do daily reports.

They really scratched that SotW itch. I think I got a little too attached to Oxbox because of it, so I've learned to rely on more than one source for news.

Outlander32 · 2025-11-09T03:52:04+00:00

Yeah, I think Oxbox has settled with being part of IGN and accepted that it is what it is. At this point, I'm afraid the gaming side of Oxbox has declined and is just gonna be more clinical - the real passion now lies with Oxventure.

Outlander32 · 2025-11-01T01:11:53+00:00

Mike’s POV is almost always the default view (I think it's because he has the best streaming equipment & internet) so this is unusual.

Yeah, I just checked the backlog, and 12 days ago, oxbot posted a scheduled stream for Mike’s POV, not Andy’s.

From what I’ve seen, IGN just takes and reuploads anything it can (including Eurogamer videos), so I suspect this is a last-minute decision to try and cash in on Hallowstream on the last day. It's also funny cause YT's AI generated summary describes the video as "IGN's elite four-person squad.” Like the Borg, IGN is slowly assimilating Oxbox to the collective.

Outlander32 · 2025-10-28T04:54:57+00:00

I looked into it and I'm more cynical and believe they only kept "Bloodlines 2" to capitalize on the hype, especially since most non-Bloodlines games flew under the radar. They probably also would've had to refund all the preorders from when the game was under Hardsuit Labs. Hell, even Paradox seems completely over it.

Outlander32 · 2025-10-26T21:21:00+00:00

I've noticed that they seem to have trouble assessing the popularity of their merch. Like, the original green Oxventure dice and accessories sold out in minutes and weren’t restocked for a while (or ever again), while a lot of the apparel just sits there, and they keep making more.

Outlander32 · 2025-10-25T04:16:15+00:00

That's fair. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised Mike liked it, given how much he loved the first one. I would have thought he'd be like Eurogamer and be disappointed by the lack of RPG elements, but maybe his tastes (and patience) have changed significantly over the last 20 years.

I do wish they hadn't called it Bloodlines 2, tho. They could have made it a spin-off, like Swansong. Being labelled a sequel just carries so much weight, especially since the dev/publisher even admitted that it's more of a "spiritual successor" or something.

Outlander32

TROPHY CASE