Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! As Highguard studio Wildlight Entertainment suffers mass layoffs in the wake of the game's negative reception, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing director Michael 'Cromwelp' Douse has addressed the circulating discussions that it's Game Awards host Geoff Keighley's fault. Highguard, the new free-to-play shooter from Wildlight Entertainment, hasn't exactly been in the limelight for a good reason recently, racking up "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam in mere hours post-launch and not quite reaching players like developers hoped it would. After this poor performance, level designer Alex Graner announced on LinkedIn that "most of the team at Wildlight" had been laid off – so, sadly, things aren't exactly looking up. With all of this in mind, folks have been pointing the blame at Keighley as he shared his own interest in the game previously, going as far as alleging that he somehow had a personal financial stake in the shooter. These theories are out there, to say the least, and Douse thinks so, too. "The Highguard layoffs, like many others, are a sad reminder of the economic instability of an industry that asks the world but promises little," he writes in a new post. Highguard boss says "the toxicity is challenging," will "continue to ask" if The Game Awards reveal was right decision Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says "game development runs on optimism" as the industry comes to Highguard's defense "I wish Highguard had been received better," CEO admits, after cancelling a planned Apex Legends-style shadow drop The Highguard layoffs, like many others, are a sad reminder of the economic instability of an industry that asks the world but promises little. That said, blaming one man for showing a trailer on his telly show is a sophomoric take that shows little understanding of industry!February 12, 2026 The Highguard layoffs, like many others, are a sad reminder of the economic instability of an industry that asks the world but promises little. That said, blaming one man for showing a trailer on his telly show is a sophomoric take that shows little understanding of industry!February 12, 2026 The Highguard layoffs, like many others, are a sad reminder of the economic instability of an industry that asks the world but promises little. That said, blaming one man for showing a trailer on his telly show is a sophomoric take that shows little understanding of industry!February 12, 2026 The Larian dev continues, explaining that blaming Keighley stems from an uninformed point of view: "That said, blaming one man for showing a trailer on his telly show is a sophomoric take that shows little understanding of industry!" Honestly, I'd have to agree here with Douse – sometimes, games just don't land, and that can be due to a plethora of reasons. Concord comes to mind, and players' reactions were nothing short of all over the place then, either. Douse expands on his thoughts in a direct response to Keighley's own thread regarding the Wildlight layoffs, writing, "I think it's cool to give games you personally like a chance within your means. Publishers put out games they believe in, and the majority, sadly, don't do the numbers they wished they did. The reality is that what we love isn't always successful. I hope they can move to success." It's certainly sad, but I'd say it's 100% true. Looking for something to wishlist now? Be sure to browse our roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond for fresh titles to anticipate.