It is December 2025. The video game Oscars are underway. All manufacturers fight frantically for their game to be the most viewed and accompanied by the most likes. It's the end of the ceremony, Geoff Keighley announces that that's not all and he has another ace up his sleeve. Highguard is announced, and the audience looks at each other for the answer to the question: what did we just see? The Internet is burning with bad comments and amazement.
Geoff was never even allowed to take that ace out of his sleeve; surely he was paid handsomely for such representation. Highguard was launched on January 26th and permanently shut down on the 12th. March. The ace that was supposed to stay in the deck didn't last even two full months. The game suffered from a severe identity crisis: little first-person shooter, little territory-conquering, and, of course, aggressive microtransactions.
For years, manufacturers have been imposing on us what to think and buy. The success of one formula does not guarantee that it will work on the next title. The predatory approach must end. Highguard isn't the only one; there's also the infamous Concord that Sony poured millions into, only to shut it down in record time.
On the other side of the coin, the producers recognized the weakness of the audience. It doesn't matter if it's mom's wallet or money collected from brunch - costumes are bought, and "skins" shine.
Fortunately, we all recognized the success of single-player games. The heroic Dispatch has shown that audiences are hungry – nay, starving – for good and inspiring stories. Astro Bot delighted us as he showed us the history of PlayStation with a smile.
Productions cost more and more, new titles are waited for years. Of course, not everything can be a hit, but I can't help but wonder: when will publishers finally see? When will they realize that players primarily want to have fun? Maybe they will understand, but the question is whether it will be too late then. The scene is changing at the speed of light, the shareholders are eagerly looking for their share of the pie, and us? We just want a game that doesn't treat us like walking ATMs.
Source: POLYGON, FORBES
