- Primary Subject: Highguard
- Key Update: Highguard’s live-service launch drew mixed reactions over pacing and clarity, while developers discussed long-term plans for a future single-player experience.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: January 27, 2026
- Quick Answer: Highguard’s launch split players over slow pacing and unclear hooks, and developers say a single-player mode is a long-term goal, but multiplayer stability remains priority.
Highguard’s launch has become a case study in how fragile a new live-service shooter’s first impression can be.
The game launched under the shadow of its Game Awards reveal, where many viewers couldn’t quite figure out what it was, and that early confusion carried straight into release.
By the time players finally tried it, expectations were already off, and the game’s focus on small teams battling over base raids across large maps didn’t match what many thought they were signing up for.
Why Are Player Opinions So Split?
Reception fractured almost right away after launch, though many players appreciate the tension once raids start, the battlefield movement enabled by mounts, and the layered process of collecting resources ahead of assaults.
To them, Highguard feels like a fresh mix of tactical defense, PvP duels, and objective-based pressure.
There’s a group that values the escalating pace of matches and the strategic layer of building defenses, yet a large portion of players disagree.
One of the biggest criticisms centers on pacing, as early matches are spent looting and traversing large areas that can feel empty rather than tactical with only 3v3 squads.
The long gaps between real fights can make matches feel drawn out, especially next to faster, nonstop shooters, and with many players saying the core loop feels confusing and not very rewarding at first, that slow start becomes a real risk in a genre where rivals grab attention within minutes.
There’s also a broader market reality working against the game. Even if Highguard offers something slightly different, players only have so much time to invest.
Many already have a “main” live-service shooter they’re committed to, complete with battle passes, progression, and friend groups.
Convincing those players to switch requires either exceptional polish or an instantly compelling hook.
For many, Highguard hasn’t quite delivered that hook yet, especially with its slower early phases and smaller team format.
Why Are the Devs Talking About Single-Player Already?
Even as players continue to face performance problems, pacing issues, and uncertainty around the core mode, the developers are already looking beyond multiplayer updates toward a future single-player experience.
According to TheGamer, the idea isn’t framed as something arriving soon, but as a long-term goal designed to add narrative depth, expand the setting, and take Highguard further than competitive play alone.
It shows the team treats the project as the foundation of something much bigger than standard multiplayer.
At the end of the day, big plans don’t matter if the current experience can’t keep players engaged.
Before players buy into future expansions or narrative ambitions, they want stability, better optimization, tighter pacing, and possibly adjustments to team sizes or map flow.
A single-player project of that scale only becomes possible if Highguard’s multiplayer foundation succeeds first.
With the major problems sorted out, the outlook could go from rough around the edges to finding its footing. If not, talk of single-player risks sounding like plans for a house whose foundation isn’t fully set yet.
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