Geoff Keighley Clarifies No Financial Ties to Highguard Amidst Online Backlash

Highguard has been live for about a day now, and surprisingly, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley is facing some backlash over its release. Wildlight Entertainment initially intended to drop the game without prior notice, but Keighley reached out to them about showcasing it during December’s awards show. Now that the game is out and players are expressing some intense opinions, Keighley is receiving an unusual amount of criticism.

What are your thoughts on Highguard so far?

You can dive into the replies to his tweets for some wild reactions, including bizarre claims that Keighley has a financial interest in Highguard’s success. He even addressed this speculation on social media, humorously stating, “lol absolutely not.”

This backlash likely stems from Keighley’s emotional enthusiasm for certain games showcased at the Game Awards, which has become somewhat of a meme. Highguard’s prominent placement as the show’s finale has also faced scrutiny since December. Keighley has been warning the critics that they might regret their harsh words leading up to the launch. Now that the game is out and many players are dissatisfied, Keighley’s previous support is causing him to be grouped with the critics, who are now saying, “I told you so.”

I tried out Highguard last night before returning to the live-service game I’ve been hooked on for seven years. Sure, it has its issues, but I’m still puzzled by the level of negativity directed at it. It’ll be interesting to see how the game performs in the long run, especially since Wildlight has some ambitious post-launch plans in the works.