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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Wildlight Entertainment’s CEO later said Geoff Keighley offered Highguard a prominent slot after playing and liking the game, but the available reporting does not establish whether the studio paid to appear in the broadcast. It distinguishes that question from the separate claim that Wildlight did not pay for the coveted finale position, which Keighley selected.
Was Highguard the final announcement at The Game Awards?
Yes. Highguard closed The Game Awards 2025 as the show’s “one last thing” announcement. That made it the finale reveal, but it does not by itself show how the arrangement was funded or who chose the placement.
Did Wildlight pay for the spot?
There are two different payment questions: whether Wildlight paid to have Highguard appear in the broadcast at all, and whether it paid for the finale position. The contemporaneous 80 Level report relayed that Wildlight paid to be featured but did not choose the “one last thing” placement; Keighley selected that position. The same report said the no-payment claim then lacked concrete public proof.
A later PC Gamer interview with Wildlight CEO and founder Dusty Welch gave the studio’s explanation for receiving the opportunity, but did not publish an agreement, invoice, or other financial documentation. The available accounts therefore do not independently settle whether Wildlight paid an appearance fee. The safest conclusion is narrower: reporting says the studio did not pay for the finale placement, while whether it paid for inclusion in the show remains unverified.
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Why did Highguard get the finale?
Welch said Keighley had visited the studio, played Highguard, and liked it. Welch described Keighley as saying he wanted to put an indie studio and a free-to-play game in the show, and said Wildlight jumped at the opportunity. That is Welch’s account of the invitation; the cited coverage does not independently document Keighley’s motives or the terms of the arrangement.
Welch characterized Wildlight as an indie studio that was “unknown by choice,” and Highguard as free-to-play. The opportunity was therefore presented as a way to put a comparatively unfamiliar studio and its game in front of The Game Awards audience—not as proof that the studio bought the finale position.
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What did the studio say about the trailer’s reception?
Welch later said he wished the reveal had been received better. He reflected that Wildlight could have made a different trailer that more clearly showed Highguard’s distinctive gameplay loop, rather than focusing on entertainment value.
Design and creative director Jason McCord said the trailer was intended as an announcement: the plan was to reveal the game, go quiet, and let players’ next encounter be the game itself. Welch’s comment points to a possible mismatch between that reveal strategy and what viewers wanted to understand from the trailer; it does not change what is known about the placement or its payment terms.
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What happened after the reveal?
Launch-era coverage reported that Highguard released on January 26, 2026, for PC and consoles, describing it as a free-to-play PvP shooter. Those reports establish the release details at that time; they do not verify the game’s current service status.
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