Highguard Failed at Premiere Due to Show Placement - Players Blame Geoff Keighley
According to Forbes journalist Paul Tassi, the developers of Highguard did not pay for the promotional video at the end of the Game Awards – it was added for free.
Informant AleXXorTV reported that Half-Life 3 was originally planned for the last announcement slot as a Steam Machine exclusive, but Valve refused at the last moment due to RAM issues. Geoff Keighley then "pulled" Highguard for the final spot of the show, which caused a wave of negative reactions.
Users on X are discussing:
Geoff killed the game.
The Highguard team was just trying to release a game and got caught in the crossfire.
Some fans noted that the game might have received a more neutral reception if it had been shown as a regular trailer, rather than as the show's closing project.
The reaction would have been much milder if it was just another trailer.
If the game didn't have that slot, it would have been received well.
Part of the audience showed cautious optimism:
If Geoff highlighted it so much, maybe the game is worth paying attention to after all.
For Geoff/TGA's reputation, this game needs to be successful. Maybe we're missing something.
The wide discussion showed that the place in the show can greatly affect the public's perception of the game, and the decisions of the TGA producers caused fierce debates in the community.
In any case, all these statements remain rumors and assumptions.»
