Chad Grenier, director of the newly released raid shooter Highguard, has pushed back against the industry’s obsession with concurrent user data, telling Polygon that player count “doesn’t matter” to the team at Wildlight Entertainment. In an era where live-service titles are often declared dead within weeks if they fail to maintain massive populations, Grenier’s stance is a rare pivot toward qualitative success over quantitative metrics. According to the director, the studio is measuring the game’s health through player enjoyment rather than the sheer volume of people logging in.
The project arrived with significant momentum following its reveal at The Game Awards 2025. Positioned as the prestigious “one more thing” announcement—a slot historically reserved for heavy hitters like Naughty Dog or Capcom—Highguard benefited from a unique arrangement with Geoff Keighley. Reports indicate that the developer was offered the closing spot free of charge, prompting Wildlight to abandon a planned “shadow-drop” in favor of the massive exposure provided by the award show. This high-profile introduction set expectations sky-high for what was ultimately revealed to be a “raid shooter” with a specific, niche appeal.
Since its January 26 launch, however, the reality on the ground has been more complicated. The game has been met with a mixed reception, characterized by technical hurdles and a community divided over its core mechanics. While many anticipated a dominant market entry given its prime marketing placement, the actual player numbers have sparked concerns among analysts and fans alike. By dismissing these figures, Grenier suggests that Wildlight is prepared to support a smaller, more dedicated core audience rather than chasing the broad, fleeting trends of the wider multiplayer market.
This philosophy may be a necessity for a studio composed of industry veterans looking to escape the boom-or-bust cycle of traditional AAA development. However, the long-term viability of a multiplayer-only title like Highguard remains to be seen. Maintaining servers and producing regular content updates requires capital that usually follows high player engagement. Whether Wildlight Entertainment can sustain its “enjoyment-first” metric in the face of commercial pressures will be the true test for the studio as it navigates this rocky post-launch period.
Source: Steam DB
