Learning from the Past: How Highguard Plans to Avoid Apex Legends' Early Mistakes

Highguard, the upcoming game from Wildlight Entertainment, is a fresh start for many developers who were part of Respawn Entertainment's Apex Legends team. About 60% of Wildlight's team, including design lead Mohammad Alavi, worked on Apex Legends. They know what went wrong at the start and are determined to do better this time. Apex Legends took everyone by surprise with its popularity. The team was not ready for the sudden success. They had to scramble to create more content quickly. Mohammad Alavi admitted that they were not prepared for what came after the launch. They had to learn fast and adapt. Wildlight is taking a different approach with Highguard. They have planned the first year of content in detail. This includes new characters, weapons, and maps. Carlos Pineda, lead game designer, said they have improved their process for creating and releasing content.The team knows that players expect more frequent updates now. Dusty Welch, co-founder and CEO of Wildlight, said the pace has sped up. Players want content more often, similar to what mobile games offer. However, Wildlight won't rush things like some mobile games do. They will release updates more frequently than Apex Legends did, but not as fast as mobile games. Highguard will have episodes that last two months each. These episodes will include new weapons, mods, bases, and amulets. Some episodes will also add new maps and mounts. There's even a surprise planned for December. The studio is thinking long-term and has already playtested new characters that they can't announce yet. Wildlight is focused on staying on schedule. They have set a clear plan for the first year and are sticking to it. Jason Torfin, product and publishing VP, said they are ruthless about their deadlines. They promised to launch in January 2026, and they will.