Swen Vincke comes to the defense of developers. „It’s easy to destroy things, it’s a lot harder to build them”
The new free-to-play shooter has been met with harsh criticism, but the Baldur's Gate 3 creator and others in the industry are not fans of „destroying” other people's work.
The head of Larian Studios and other gaming industry folks have spoken out against people who they think are going overboard with trashing the reputations of creators, like those behind Highguard and others.
The launch of Wildlight Entertainment's shooter didn't go as the developers had hoped. Even though the positive reviews are slowly catching up to the negative ones, having only 34% "thumbs up" is still not something the studio would want to brag about in their press releases. Highguard was certainly not helped by Geoff Keighley, who, despite his sincere (?) interest in the title, only seemed to disrupt the team's plans.
CEO of Larian Studios criticizes critics
While no one seriously tries to portray Highguard as a rival to Marvel Rivals or Overwatch, there were quick voices that some players' reactions were greatly exaggerated. We're not just talking about regular internet users here, who might get accused by some player of being paid to promote a game.
Just take a look at what none other than Swen Vincke published. The head of Larian Studios posted a series of entries about Highguard and the industry in general, in which he strongly criticized people who disrespect others' work and attack it as a personal insult. He even suggested that critics should be rated the same way games are on Metacritic.
I don’t like people shitting on things others have created. Putting something out into the world makes you vulnerable, and that alone deserves respect, even if you dislike the creation. It’s easy to destroy things, it’s a lot harder to build them. The best critics understand this. Even when they’re being critical, they do their best not to be hurtful.
Sometimes I think it'd be a good idea for critics to be scored, Metacritic-style, based on how others evaluate their criticism. I like to imagine it would encourage a bit more restraint. The harsh words do real damage. You shouldn't have to grow callus on your soul just because you want to publish something.
Vincke pointed out that even though developers and publishers aren't blameless, and he personally isn't a fan of many games, it's pretty rare to find a game where at least one person didn't genuinely care about the project. The thing is, those same people who worry the most about "harsh" criticism of their work are also the ones who feel the pressure the most. And if these creators leave, only those who are more indifferent to the project's fate remain.
There's plenty of games I genuinely don't like playing and there are many I know are made for the wrong reasons. However - it's incredibly rare for one to be made without there being someone behind it that truly cared about what they were making, putting a part of themselves in it.
Addendum: It needs to be said apparently - but I don't like developers or publishers shitting on players either. And I certainly don't like those that milk players who love their game. I understand why players are upset by it. It upsets me too. I hate it wholeheartedly and vowed that Larian would never engage in it.
My little thread isn't about defending these practices.
What I'm trying to say is that most creative souls are sensitive souls and those sensitive souls are the ones that care the most.
When they check out because they can't handle the vitriol, we all lose because what's left are those that don't care.
The effect the words have on those sensitive souls may not be underestimated. You don't want them to lose their idealism and love of players.
There's other ways of dealing with player exploitation. Not playing the games is probably the best one. You don't have to verbally hurt the people behind the game to express your disdain. If enough people stop playing the games that don't respect players, those in charge will get the message and change course soon. There's enough other games there.
Geoff Keighley's new toy
Gotta admit, Vincke's opinion might not sit well with the average internet user, and you can definitely see in the comments that a lot of people aren't buying what the Larian boss is selling. Nevertheless, there are players who agree that there are too many people who "hate games as a hobby" (not just games...), and Highguard—though it has many issues to fix—is not as terrible as one might think from social media comments.
What's probably more interesting is that after Vincke's posts, a bunch of other industry folks chimed in, and some even had supportive words for Geoff Keighley. As he admitted in a meme-worthy message that he was getting roasted by people online.
The content of these posts can generally be divided into several categories. On one hand, you've got people pointing out how online game discussions are getting devalued, with "anti-fans" who, instead of just ignoring what they don't like, get involved with as much energy as the biggest fans, but they're full of disdain instead of admiration. This was written by, among others, shinobi206, Gene Park, and Jez Corden. The latter also pointed to platform "algorithms" as a possible culprit: the more "negative" something is, the more it is promoted by Google.
On the flip side, there are people who are standing up for Geoff Keighley. (Some gamers were accusing him of taking bribes and promoting Highguard for money). People are pointing out how many folks don't realize (or "forget") about the passion the host of TGA and Summer Game Fest has, and how much worse these events could be if they were run by a more "corporate" team.
Also, like we mentioned before, Keighley didn't just ignore the not-so-great launch of Highguard. Instead, he kept posting about the game and even asked players for their thoughts on it. Hence, the humorous comment that the journalist genuinely liked Highguard and wanted to show the game to the world like a child with a favorite toy.
Nothing screams "true gamer" more than staunchly defending a game that no one else likes.
I have maternal feelings towards Geoffrey Keighley... He wanted to show us his new favorite toy, and we all laughed at him.
Because Geoff liked that game. He has the right to like it. He just has a crappy taste.
Even posts from well-known creators, journalists, and insiders couldn't shake the overall negative vibe online. Criticisms continue to be directed at the creators of Highguard, as well as Keighley and those who try to point out any positive features of the game. Time will tell whether Wildlight Entertainment will succumb to the pressure or persistently strive to regain players' trust and encourage them to try Highguard.
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Author: Jacob Blazewicz
Graduated with a master's degree in Polish Studies from the University of Warsaw with a thesis dedicated to this very subject. Started his adventure with gamepressure.com in 2015, writing in the Newsroom and later also in the film and technology sections (also contributed to the Encyclopedia). Interested in video games (and not only video games) for years. He began with platform games and, to this day, remains a big fan of them (including Metroidvania). Also shows interest in card games (including paper), fighting games, soulslikes, and basically everything about games as such. Marvels at pixelated characters from games dating back to the time of the Game Boy (if not older).
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