Wildlight Entertainment, a studio founded by ex-Respawn developers, revealed its brand new PvP game, Highguard, at The Game Awards 2025.
The award show concluded with a nearly three-minute-long trailer showcasing the new first-person shooter developed by the team behind Apex Legends and Titanfall.
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Players won’t have to wait long to experience Wildlight’s debut game, as Highguard will release as a free-to-play title on January 26th, 2026 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
On its Steam page, the official description for Highguard reads: “From the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall, comes Highguard: a PvP raid shooter where players will ride, fight, and raid as Wardens, arcane gunslingers sent to fight for control of a mythical continent.”
The self-described ‘raid-shooter’ consists of teams fighting for the possession of a Shieldbreaker, hoping to breach and destroy enemy bases in order to capture territory. Other gameplay elements were also revealed in the trailer, including mounts for traversal, Warden abilities, a mix of medieval and modern weaponry, and more.
Highguard is the debut game of Wildlight Entertainment, a studio formed in 2021 by veterans from Respawn Entertainment, and has been in development for the past four years. Highguard was the final reveal in The Game Awards this year, an honour typically reserved for major reveals and the most highly anticipated games.
Does Highguard have Esports Potential?
Highguard boasts a lot of potential for a competitive scene; however, as of right now, there are no clear indications that this is a direction Wildlight Entertainment are taking. Moreover, whether or not it could foster an esports scene as popular as the Apex Legends Global Series remains to be seen.
Its unique gameplay loop, consisting of raiding other teams and capturing objectives, allows it to stand out from other esports titles. As a result, it may occupy a unique space in the shooter scene, separating itself from battle royales like Fortnite and tactical shooters like VALORANT.
The chances of a competitive scene forming ultimately hinge on how popular Highguard is once it releases next January, and what direction the developers wish to take the raid shooter should it become a success.
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