When servers get so overloaded they have to be taken offline and restarted, it usually means one of two things: either preparation fell short, or the influx of players blew past every expectation. "Wardogs" is firmly the latter.
Developed by UK studio Bulkhead and already being compared to the likes of "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield," this new first-person shooter launched in Early Access on the night of September 10. According to the official team, it has already sold over 1.25 million copies. SteamDB data shows concurrent players peaked at 340,000 on launch night, with more than 180,000 still battling it out online as of now.
The player surge overwhelmed the servers so badly that Bulkhead had to take the game offline temporarily and roll out a queue system to stabilize things—despite having run multiple test events beforehand, openly inviting players to "come and break our servers." The studio later posted an apology on social media: "Thanks for your patience, sorry for the delays, we'll see you on the servers." The queue issue has since eased up, and players can now jump straight in.
"Wardogs" pits 100 players split across three factions against each other, fighting for control points on a destructible battlefield set in an abandoned industrial mountain region of Eastern Europe. The studio describes it as a "tactical full-scale war" shooter that emphasizes teamwork and a "cash is king" resource system. Since launch, the game has racked up over 16,000 reviews on Steam, landing at "Mostly Positive."
Bulkhead is planning a one-to-two-year Early Access period for "Wardogs," gradually rolling out more maps, weapons, vehicles, and gameplay modes. In a blog post, the studio said the focus going forward will be on "building deeper motivations to play beyond a single match," including a more fleshed-out progression system, stronger seasonal mechanics, and systems that reward players for contributing to the fight in different ways—whether through combat, support, or logistics.
