Highguard was unveiled at The Game Awards and faced significant controversy, including skepticism and comparisons to the failed game Concord. At launch, it attracted nearly 100,000 concurrent players on Steam but currently holds a 33% rating, categorized as 'mostly negative' reviews. Despite this, the developers believe the game does not need large player counts to succeed. There is hope that Highguard can improve its performance, introduce new content, and make significant gameplay changes in the future. The trend of review-bombing is seen as harmful to the game's potential for growth.