Wardogs’ incredible success has seen it sell 2 million copies after just five days of release.
Bulkhead’s tactical first-person shooter released in early access form on Steam on September 10 and was an instant hit, reaching a peak of 428,666 concurrent players and becoming one of the most-played games on Valve’s platform. It sold 1 million copies on day one, and 1.25 million by day two.
“Thank you all. Beyond humbled,” Bulkhead said in a post on social media. “We made a game we wanted to play with friends. Watching you play it with yours has been the best.”
User reviews are now ‘Very Positive’ after initial complaints around launch problems. That appears to be done and dusted now, with players getting on with the game and having fun. A number of gameplay clips showing Wardogs shenanigans have gone viral (players are even avoiding Wardogs’ Lonestar faction over a perception that they seemingly attract the worst players and lose the most games).
Bulkhead has said it expects Wardogs to remain in early access for 1-2 years, with a console version planned for 2028. “We are adamant that we do not want to be in Early Access for a long time,” its Steam page reads.
“That time is planned for expanding content, improving systems, refining balance, and responding to player feedback. The exact duration may change depending on how development and community feedback evolves.”
“The full version of Wardogs, whenever it comes out, will be “broader and more polished” than the early access release, Bulkhead has said. Because of this, expect the price of the game to go up when the full release comes out “to reflect the more complete experience.”
“Early access players benefit from getting in at a lower price and helping shape the game as it develops,” Bulkhead has said.
As for the expansion of the game, expect more maps, weapons, vehicles, and gameplay variety. The priority now is building “deeper reasons to play beyond individual matches.”
“We plan to develop more in depth progression systems, a stronger seasonal meta game, and additional systems that reward players for the time and impact they bring to a match, whether through combat, support, or logistics,” Bulkhead said.
“Alongside this, we plan broader gameplay additions such as new vehicle types including fighter jets, expanded weapon categories, additional objective variations, and continued improvements to the core Wardogs experience.
“Throughout Early Access and beyond, our ongoing priority will always be improving balance, performance, and stability.”
Wesley Yin-Poole
Director, News
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
