Highguard's Silent Treatment: The Game That Refused to Apologize

When Highguard's developers went silent after a Game Awards reveal turned into a dumpster fire, they might've just made the smartest move of their careers.

The game's debut at The Game Awards 2023 triggered immediate backlash on social media, with developers facing personal attacks. One team member described the fallout as:

"Day 1 of being a game dev with a public-facing game and I got 75+ quote retweets personally ripping me apart..."

Instead of issuing public statements or defending the reveal, the studio maintained radio silence for three weeks. The game launches on Steam next week with no public beta—a stark contrast to Bungie's recent approach with Marathon, where developers directly addressed player concerns about the project's direction.