Highguard is said not to have paid for last place at the Game Awards

As the gaming world continues to wait to see if Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind Highguard, the live service title that closed out last month's presentation of The Game Awards, will break its radio silence, a new development surrounding the upcoming title has entered the fold.

Contrary to popular belief, Highguard reportedly did not pay for its seat at The Game Awards.

That bit of information comes via reporter Paul Tassi, who noted in a social media post that it was “just the show putting it there.”

His comments were further echoed by insider Tom Henderson, who explained in a separate post how advertising disclaimers would go a long way to eliminating such beliefs.

Ahead of this year's presentation, it was reported that the cost of running a 60-second commercial at the 2025 show could reach $450,000. A three-minute trailer? Over $1 million.

That figure was up from a previous report related to Summer Game Fest, another Geoff Keighley-led production, where a one-minute trailer cost developers $250,000, a minute-and-a-half $350,000, two minutes $450,000, and two-and-a-half minutes $550,000.

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It's a good thing no one is talking about Highguard

No news is good news.

Now that it seems clear the team didn't cough up nearly $1 million for its 2:36-long trailer, it still remains to be seen when Highguard, due out January 26, will break its silence.

Even with the silence, there have been no signs that Highguard will miss its launch date

As TheGamer wrote last week, ever since its “one more thing” reveal at The Game Awards, there's been virtually nothing coming from Wildlight Entertainment regarding its upcoming title.

Its social media account, which was established in July and began posting after the disclosure, has not had a new post since December 12. However, its banner still maintains the same January 26 release date.

At some point, based on a separate Henderson post, it was a Highguard event. Previews of any kind or additional material have not been released.

Whether this is all part of the marketing strategy – hush until release and let the whispers be the marketing – remains to be seen. Meanwhile, it's seemingly clear that the team didn't choose to put it in the unenviable spot of being the last title revealed at The Game Awards.