Highguard Creators Did Not Pay for The Game Awards 2025
According to Forbes journalist Paul Tassi, Wildlight Studios-the studio behind the upcoming multiplayer shooting game, Highguard- has not given a submission fee for its presentation space at The Game Awards 2025. This is very unusual, considering how much it usually costs to participate.
Have learned that Highguard did not actually pay for that Game Awards finale spot. Was just the show putting it there
— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) January 16, 2026
The Very High Price of TGA Participation
TGA shows are known for being costly for the studios that actually participate in them. Sources from Kotaku said that showing a teaser of about 60 seconds costs $450,000 while a three-minute premiere trailer costs usually around $1 million.
Theories Behind the Free Placement
Hearing that highguard was presented free has given rise to some public speculation, and two main sets of theories have emerged: One theory suggested that TGA organizer Geoff Keighley, personally liked the game from Titanfall creators and therefore decided to wave the fee. Another theory argues that something unexpected happened to warrant another project pulling out, so they brought in Highguard as a last-minute replacement. Tassi referred to this as "the most logical," though it remains unconfirmed.
Developer Silence Adds up to the Situation
All the more messy because there has been no word from the developers. Wildlight Entertainment has been quiet for two months in the midst of this since the event. Here is where it becomes interesting--Highguard will launch on January 26 in Steam Early Access with its PC version, but the studio's official YouTube channel remains blank.
