Wardogs Sells 3 Million, Devs Forced to Take Holidays

Bulkhead's tactical FPS Wardogs hits 3 million sales, but the studio is overwhelmed by cheaters and DDoS attacks, forcing staff to take mandatory leave.

Ever dreamed of your game blowing up overnight? For Bulkhead, the studio behind tactical FPS Wardogs, that dream has turned into a bit of a nightmare. The game just sold 3 million copies, but the team is so exhausted they've been forced to take holidays.

Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer took to Twitter to share the news, and he didn't sugarcoat it. "We have been a bit overwhelmed with the response, and I mean it literally," he wrote. "It feels like we've spent our whole time fighting bottom-feeder cheaters and constant DDOS attacks." Sounds like a rough launch, right?

Wardogs hit early access earlier this month and immediately drew hundreds of thousands of players. That's a huge win, but it also brought a ton of pressure, expectation, and more than a few fires to put out. Bulkhead isn't a massive studio, so they have to pick their battles carefully.

To cope with the physical and mental exhaustion, Brammer revealed that a good chunk of the team has been forced to use holiday this week. "We decided to take a bit of a reset," he explained. He framed it as "finishing a sprint and taking a breather to prepare for a marathon," as the studio looks ahead to post-launch updates.

Brammer admitted things feel a bit out of control given how big the game has become and how much extra security they've had to implement. But he remains optimistic: "I still believe in our plan and ask you to believe in our team." He also acknowledged that some players might think the team isn't listening to feedback, and he expects the community to fluctuate. "We're here for the long haul," he added. "We're in a position where we can try make 1.0 and beyond exactly what we want it to be, no compromises, that's the dream right?"

So what does this mean for you? If you're one of the millions playing Wardogs, expect some bumps as the team recovers and works on updates. Rebalancing is likely among the first overhauls coming to the shooter. Bulkhead is committed to the long game, but they need a breather first.

Will you be sticking with Wardogs through its early access growing pains? Let us know in the comments!