Highguard reportedly didn't even have to pay for his seat at The Game Awards

Highguard was the last game revealed at the 2025 Game Awards, but if a new report is true, the game's developer didn't pay for its spot on the show. Having been the last announcement of the evening, it doesn't have many updates about Highguard at all, but developers potentially not paying for their spot at The Game Awards add an interesting new layer to the story.

When presenter Geoff Keighley teased Highguard by revealing that it was developed by a team that previously worked on Titanfall and Apex Legendssome viewers immediately assumed that the game would be some kind of spiritual successor to Titanfallbut it wasn't like that. Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter, and this surprised many. The game's place in the awards ceremony sparked speculation that the developer, Wildlight Entertainment, must have paid a fortune for the coveted spot, but it may have secured it completely for free.

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After all, according to an Industry Insider, Highguard didn't pay for its gaming award spot

Reporter Paul Tassi took to Twitter to claim that Highguard didn't have to pay for their seat at The Game Awards. It is important to note that this news comes from a simple tweet and does not reveal Paul's source. So, as compelling as the claim is, it should be taken with a grain of salt until confirmed. Either way, this is bound to stoke the flames Highguard controversy even more. The final announcement at the Game Awards is one of the most coveted marketing slots in the industry and traditionally it's from a major AAA developer that has a major IP to unveil or offer an update on. For example, Naughty Dog surprised gamers with the announcement of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at the ceremony in 2024. When Highguard turned out to be the big game that would close the 2025 Game Awards, many viewers were confused.

Since that revelation, Highguard has remained silent

To make the story even more headless, Highguards release date is less than two weeks away with no further updates. All the information that has been given is through its one trailer that was shown at the Game Awards. This has raised many questions about whether or not the game will actually even launch on time. There are also already plenty of theories as to why Highguard was reportedly able to secure such a large site for free. A prevailing theory that has been doing the rounds is that Geoff Keighley simply loved the game so much that he offered himself the final spot. Further speculation on Twitter has pointed to the possibility that there may have been another game and developer who had to cancel at the last minute, prompting Keighley to offer it to Highguard. Until Keighley or Wildlight Entertainment come out and say something, there's really no way to know for sure.

As of now, whether Highguard got his Game Awards spot for free or not remains a mystery. The backlash the game has received has painted the title in a negative light, but its upcoming release will hopefully allow it to prove people wrong. There were a lot of big Game Awards 2025 announcements, though Highguard unexpectedly became a title that has generated much discussion. The ongoing conversation about the hero shooter may be divisive, but its place in The Game Awards lineup definitely got people's attention. With its release date around the corner, it will be fascinating to see what Highguard is about.