Key Takeaways
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- Player reactions, particularly early reviews and feedback from content creators, significantly impacted the launch of Highguard, leading to rapid decline in popularity and overwhelmingly negative reviews.
- Online backlash against the game resulted in personal attacks towards developers, including Josh Sobel, who revealed he received comments about his autism and career, causing him to restrict his social media presence due to emotional toll.
- The launch of Highguard serves as a reminder of the human element in game development, highlighting potential consequences of online discourse on the mental health and well-being of developers.
- Despite layoffs and negative reviews, Wildlight Entertainment plans to continue working on Highguard with a core team.
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A former developer from Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind Highguard, revealed that player reaction significantly impacted the game’s launch and affected the team. Highguard was a prominent title at The Game Awards in late 2025 and launched as a free-to-play title on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox in January 2025. Initial player numbers on Steam reached nearly 100,000 concurrent users, but the game’s popularity quickly declined, and it received overwhelmingly negative reviews. Layoffs began shortly thereafter, with numerous team members announcing their job losses on LinkedIn. Wildlight Entertainment stated that a core team would remain to continue working on the game. According to Josh Sobel, one of the developers, the period leading up to The Game Awards was a career highlight. The team had dedicated two and a half years to developing Highguard, and early feedback, including that from content creators, was positive. However, things changed quickly after the trailer release. Numerous content creators criticized the game, and memes comparing it to Concord 2 or Titanfall 3 emerged. Over 14,000 negative reviews came from players who had barely experienced the game, with some not even completing the tutorial.
Josh Sobel Addresses Personal Attacks and Online Backlash’s Impact on Highguard Launch
Sobel also said he received personal attacks, including comments about his autism and career. Consequently, he restricted his social media presence, citing the emotional toll. While Sobel acknowledges that some criticism was valid, he believes the negative online response significantly impacted Highguard. This situation serves as a stark reminder of the human element in game development and the potential consequences of online discourse.
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