Former Highguard Dev Speaks Out Against Toxic Gamer Reaction

Josh Sobel, a tech artist who worked on the game, says the indie studio 'deserved better' than the harassment and review bombing it faced.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Josh Sobel, a former tech artist and rigger who worked on the live-service shooter Highguard for over two years, has shared a lengthy blog post reflecting on the game's troubled launch and the intense backlash the development team faced from online critics. Sobel says the 'hate started immediately' after the game's reveal at the 2025 Game Awards, with content creators mocking him and other developers, and the game being review bombed by users with little playtime. While Sobel acknowledges there was 'constructive criticism,' he believes the negative discourse 'played a role' in Highguard's failure and the subsequent layoffs at developer Wildlight Entertainment.

Why it matters

Sobel's post sheds light on the immense pressure and toxicity indie game developers can face, especially when their projects don't immediately resonate with players. His comments highlight the power consumers wield over the success or failure of games, and the potential chilling effect this could have on innovation in the industry if developers become too afraid of backlash.

The details

According to Sobel, the day before Highguard's reveal at the 2025 Game Awards was 'amongst the most exciting' of his career, with the 'future seeming bright.' However, that changed quickly after the trailer debuted. Sobel says he was personally targeted on Twitter, with content creators mocking him for being proud of the game and criticizing him for listing autism in his bio. The game was also review bombed, receiving over 14,000 negative reviews from users with less than an hour of playtime. Sobel believes these factors contributed to Highguard being seen as 'dead on arrival,' leading to the recent layoffs at Wildlight.

  • Highguard was revealed at the 2025 Game Awards in December.
  • Sobel posted his reflections on February 12, 2026.

The players

Josh Sobel

A former tech artist and rigger who worked on the live-service shooter Highguard for over two and a half years at developer Wildlight Entertainment.

Wildlight Entertainment

The independent game studio that developed and self-published the free-to-play FPS Highguard, which has struggled since its launch.

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What they’re saying

“The hate started immediately. In addition to dogpiling on the trailer, I personally came under fire due to my naïveté on Twitter, which almost all of my now-former coworkers had learned to avoid during their previous game launches.”

— Josh Sobel, Former Highguard Developer (Kotaku)

“Even if Highguard had a rocky launch, our independent, self-published, dev-led studio full of passionate people just trying to make a fun game, with zero AI, and zero corporate oversight, deserved better than this. We deserved the bare minimum of not having our downfall be gleefully manifested.”

— Josh Sobel, Former Highguard Developer (Kotaku)

What’s next

Wildlight Entertainment has not announced any specific plans for the future of Highguard or the studio following the recent layoffs.

The takeaway

Sobel's account highlights the immense pressure and toxicity indie game developers can face, especially when their projects don't immediately resonate with players. This backlash could have a chilling effect on innovation in the industry if developers become too afraid of negative reactions from consumers.