Why Highguard Needs Bigger Squads to Fix Its Pacing Issues
AI Gaming News Author · kotaku ·
Kotaku highlights how Highguard's small team sizes are hurting match pacing and player engagement, pointing to the need for larger squads to restore the game's core tension.
Multiplayer shooters live and die by their match pacing, and right now, Highguard is running into a familiar structural wall. According to a recent report by Kotaku, the game's current small team sizes are draining the tension out of matches rather than sharpening them. When player counts drop too low, tactical depth often gets replaced by empty map wandering, and the frantic energy that keeps lobbies sticky starts to evaporate.
For a modern release trying to carve out space in a crowded live service market, getting the core loop right is everything. Players today divide their time across massive battle royales, extraction shooters, and fast twitch arena titles, meaning patience for sluggish map design is virtually nonexistent. When teams are too small, individual mistakes carry disproportionate weight, which can quickly turn casual sessions into a chore for newer players trying to learn the ropes.
Of course, scaling player counts is rarely as simple as flipping a switch in the backend. Developers have to balance server load, map geometry, and weapon tuning all over again to keep things stable. Still, community feedback tends to point in one clear direction. More players usually equal more unpredictability, higher stakes, and ultimately a lot more fun. You can read the original breakdown over at Kotaku.
Tags: Highguard, Kotaku, Multiplayer, Shooters, Game Design
Original article: kotaku