Highguard Developer Who Blamed Gamers and Bloggers for Failure Deletes X Account

A former employee of Wildlight shared candid thoughts on the launch of Highguard, stating that the project was "turned into a joke" due to false assumptions surrounding the debut trailer.

According to Josh Sobel, the former lead technical artist on the project, the game's fate was sealed after the trailer was shown at The Game Awards. In a lengthy social media post, he noted that prior to the announcement, internal feedback on Highguard was "very positive," and criticism was "constructive and applicable." The team believed they had a potential hit on their hands.

However, after the trailer was released, Sobel claims the situation changed drastically. In his opinion, negative content on social media receives much greater reach, which encourages content creators to "lean towards a sharper and sometimes insincere tone."

The developer said he was forced to close his X profile, after which videos appeared mocking his "cowardice" and pride in the project. He admitted that what was happening became emotionally exhausting for him.

He also rejected the common notion that developers shift blame for failures onto players, and then again blamed players for the failures of games like Highguard and 2XKO. According to Sobel, the culture of online discussions can indeed influence the perception of a project.