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Highguard Game Faces Backlash, 14K Negative Reviews After Launch

2/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

Josh Sobel, a former Wildlight developer, says Highguard faced backlash after the Game Awards announcement, driven by false assumptions about a million-dollar ad placement.
Despite initial positive feedback, the game drew heavy criticism with more than 14,000 negative reviews shortly after launch.
Sobel notes that gamer negativity contributed to the struggles, and he laments the emotional toll on the team while colleagues receive support from other developers.

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Story summary

Josh Sobel, a former Wildlight developer, says Highguard faced backlash after the Game Awards announcement, driven by false assumptions about a million-dollar ad placement.
Despite initial positive feedback, the game drew heavy criticism with more than 14,000 negative reviews shortly after launch.
Sobel notes that gamer negativity contributed to the struggles, and he laments the emotional toll on the team while colleagues receive support from other developers.