The Early Access launch of Wardogs should have been a resounding success for developer Bulkhead and publisher Team17. Over a million copies sold on the first day alone and a player peak of more than 340,000 concurrent users are impressive figures for a 100-player tactical shooter. We already detailed the true extent of the rush in our launch day report. Now it's clear: Success came at a price.
Why Were There Such Long Queues in Wardogs?
The influx of players apparently exceeded all expectations of the studio. Queue positions of over 300,000 were reported, and many matches failed to load entirely. Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer later self-critically stated: “I gotta take the L on this one guys, we’ve got it but it’s on me here. This is why we release on a Thursday.” Among the reasons he cited was a rate limit from Valve, which further restricted server capacity.
How is Developer Bulkhead Responding to the Criticism?
On Steam, the team published an official statement: “We will be actively monitoring the ongoing situation post hotfix and will be working through the night to see this resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.” The subsequently released hotfix has since allowed players into the game in controlled groups (“controlled batches”) – according to Wardogs' official X account, shortly thereafter all players in the queue were actually in a match and no one had to wait anymore.
Despite this, the frustration of many buyers did not go without consequences: Due to the server issues, Wardogs was literally review-bombed on Steam, with its rating dropping to “Mixed” (around 66 percent positive reviews) – a significant blow for such a hyped launch. According to Bulkhead, anyone currently waiting to jump in shouldn't dwell too much on the first 24 to 48 hours post-launch – in our estimation, the server issues should continue to ease in the coming days with the hotfix and a decreasing influx of players.
Source: Dexerto, MMORPG.com
Were you also affected by the server rush? Tell us in the comments how your Wardogs experience began!
Comments (0)
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.