A former developer is taking legal action against the creators of Anime Vanguards, one of Roblox’s most successful anime games, claiming he was unjustly removed from the project and deprived of millions of pounds in uncollected income. Rehaab Haque and his company Boss Studio LLC submitted a federal case in the Southern District of New York on May 22 versus Vladislav Popov and Andrei Acuña, claiming disputes over ownership, profit distribution, and creative property claims. Haque contends he was instrumental in bringing back the tower defence game after its player base fell dramatically, enabling its recovery to over 100,000 concurrent users before being suddenly dismissed from the project in January 2026 without notice or compensation. The lawsuit pursues compensation for his stated role and unpaid compensation.
The growth and collapse of a development team’s collaboration
According to the lawsuit, Haque was initially brought on to offer technical development in September 2024, when Anime Vanguards was already doing strongly on the Roblox platform. However, the game’s fortunes soon declined significantly. Within three months, the player base plummeted from approximately 100,000 concurrent users to fewer than 5,000, representing a catastrophic decline that threatened the game’s commercial viability and prospects on the platform.
Recognising the seriousness of the circumstances, Haque took on an more central role in the project. By December 13, 2024, he was awarded a 20% earnings share and was made a co-owner of Anime Vanguards. Under his management, Haque claims he directed the game’s direction, development operations, updates, and hiring decisions. His contributions were substantial, including the creation of multiple core systems, more than 130 VFX, systems for more than 40 units, and more than 10 in-game cutscenes.
- Haque restored the game to over 100,000 concurrent players
- He was awarded a 20% revenue split in December 2024
- Forced to reduce share to 10% in December 2025
- Removed entirely from the project on January 14, 2026
From joint proprietor to complete removal
The relationship between Haque and his business partners started declining in the latter stages of 2025. According to the legal claim, Vladislav Popov pressured Haque in December 2025 to substantially reduce his revenue share from 20% to 10%, a significant cut that would diminish his monetary investment in the thriving game. Haque states he consented to the reduction on the condition that his responsibilities would be similarly decreased. However, the filing contends that this arrangement was not upheld, and he continued to shoulder the same management and development workload despite the substantial pay cut.
The situation intensified quickly in early 2026. On or around January 14, 2026, Haque was suddenly stripped from Anime Vanguards entirely, without advance notification or any compensation discussion. The lawsuit claims he was divested of his positions across multiple platforms simultaneously—stripped of his role in the Roblox ownership group, removed from Discord ownership channels, divested of his managerial duties, and cut off from all revenue payouts. The complaint additionally claims that Popov subsequently told developers within the Anime Vanguards community a narrative that disputed Haque’s version of his removal.
The contested December talks
The December 2025 talks mark a significant turning point in the conflict. Haque argues that he entered into sincere discussions with Popov about his financial stake in the game. According to his account, Popov initiated the discussion about cutting Haque’s earnings share, positioning it as a required change to the ownership structure. Haque claims he unwillingly accepted the decrease from 20% to 10%, viewing it as a accommodation that would still allow him to benefit from the game’s ongoing success whilst addressing whatever concerns Popov had highlighted.
However, the key dispute centres on what was purportedly promised in return for this concession. Haque’s lawsuit contends that Popov explicitly agreed that a decreased financial stake would include diminished tasks and workload. The complaint implies this was a essential element of the agreement—that Haque would take on a lighter position befitting his reduced financial interest. Yet Haque claims that after accepting the pay cut, his duties remained unchanged, placing him in a situation where he was doing the same work for substantially less compensation.
Substantial sums in dispute in intellectual property and revenue claims
The monetary scope of the legal case extend far beyond the disputed revenue share percentages. Haque’s complaint alleges that he is owed substantial unpaid compensation covering multiple months of work after his departure from the project. The exact financial compensation sought constitute a key element of the federal court case, with the complaint detailing multiple income sources that Haque argues were improperly retained. These figures constitute far more than lost wages but what Haque argues constitutes a deliberate breach of contractual obligations by the purported proprietors.
Beyond direct compensation claims, the lawsuit raises broader intellectual property concerns. The complaint asserts that Haque created or significantly contributed to numerous core systems, visual effects, and game mechanics that form the foundation of Anime Vanguards’ gameplay experience. Haque’s legal team argues that these creative contributions represent substantial assets with considerable value, particularly given the game’s market performance and large active community. The dispute over ownership and attribution of this creative work could have implications extending beyond monetary compensation to matters concerning intellectual property rights and development credits.
| Claim Type | Alleged Amount |
|---|---|
| Unpaid revenue share (20% period) | Undisclosed millions |
| Unpaid revenue share (10% period) | Undisclosed millions |
| Intellectual property contributions | Undisclosed value |
| Damages for wrongful removal | To be determined |
- Haque asserts rights to 130 visual effects developed throughout his time in role
- Over 270 further visual effects allegedly created under his direction
- Mechanics for over 40 units credited to his creative work
- More than 10 cutscenes created during his management period
- Player recovery from 5,000 to 100,000 simultaneous users credited to his direction
Pattern of conflicts within the Anime Vanguards community
The lawsuit filed by Haque represents the most recent of several disputes that have affected the Anime Vanguards project and its management team. Community members and previous partners have previously raised worries over the handling of ownership stakes, revenue distribution, and developer credits within the game’s ecosystem. The current litigation has revived discussions within the Roblox development community about legal safeguards for creators and the possible risks developers encounter when working on collaborative projects with ambiguous ownership arrangements. Industry observers note that such disputes are fairly common in the competitive world of Roblox game development, where fast expansion can damage relationships among collaborators.
The Anime Vanguards case has attracted notable attention because of the game’s considerable commercial success and the substantial creative contributions allegedly made by Haque. With close to 1.9 billion visits and a maximum concurrent player count exceeding 340,000 users, the game represents a major revenue-generating title on the Roblox platform. The financial stakes at play in this dispute are substantially higher than in many other independent game development disagreements, making the outcome potentially significant for creating precedent regarding developer rights and ownership claims in the Roblox ecosystem.
Earlier allegations and replies
Prior to Haque’s official lawsuit, the Anime Vanguards development team faced allegations regarding payment practices and developer treatment. Community members raised issues about payment delays and unclear revenue-sharing arrangements, though official legal action were not launched at that time. The broader Roblox development community has voiced dissatisfaction with cases in which talented developers have become sidelined or inadequately compensated for their work on thriving games, pointing to underlying problems within certain development operations.
The purported owners of Anime Vanguards have not provided detailed public responses to the specific claims raised in the federal complaint. However, the circumstances surrounding Haque’s departure in January 2026 and the subsequent lawsuit submission in May 2026 indicates a substantial deterioration in negotiations between the parties. Industry analysts have noted that such disagreements often involve conflicting accounts regarding ownership percentages, contractual terms, and the assessment of creative contributions, rendering resolution via court proceedings increasingly prevalent in high-stakes game development disagreements.
Legal complexities and IP disputes
The lawsuit filed by Haque and Boss Studio LLC presents several complex matters of law regarding IP rights and agreement obligations within the Roblox development ecosystem. At the heart of the disagreement is the question of whether creative contributions to a game development process—including programming, visual effects, and game mechanics—represent sufficient grounds for claims of ownership when written contracts may be ambiguous or disputed. The complaint alleges that Haque’s substantial creative input, encompassing numerous fundamental systems and many visual effects, should qualify him for continued revenue share regardless of his departure from the development. These issues highlight broader challenges in the gaming industry where fast-paced teamwork and changing responsibilities can create confusion about IP attribution and ownership interests.
The federal lawsuit also addresses the issue of whether Popov and Acuña unlawfully retained control of assets and revenue streams that Haque claims to have developed. The legal action seeks damages for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and alleged breaches involving copyrighted work incorporated into Anime Vanguards without proper payment or credit. Such IP disputes in game development often depend on establishing what constitutes work-for-hire arrangements versus independent creative contributions, and whether spoken contracts or informal arrangements can create enforceable ownership rights. The outcome of this case could establish significant precedent for how Roblox developers protect their intellectual property and discuss ownership terms in collaborative projects.
- Claims Haque produced over 130 visual effects and core game systems
- Alleges wrongful withholding of income from the successful game revival
- Questions validity of revenue-sharing contracts and ownership agreements
- Seeks damages for breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims