Much-wishlisted 100-player shooter Wardogs gets an early access release date and promises refunds for anyone unhappy with the closed beta
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Bulkhead, the studio behind Battalion 1944 and The Turing Test, has announced that its ambitious 100-player shooter Wardogs will launch into Steam early access on 10th September. The move follows months of invite-only testing and comes as the game has amassed strong pre-release interest, with over 800,000 Steam wishlists. Notably, the developer is offering refunds to anyone who tries the closed beta and decides they don't like the final product, a confident stance underscored by a promotional trailer titled "10 Reasons NOT to Buy".
Pre-orders are now live and grant access to a closed beta running for one weekend, 21st-23rd August. The game will cost $40 during early access, rising to $60 at full release, with no in-game monetisation until launch beyond Supporters edition cosmetics. Wardogs blends Battlefield-style combined-arms combat with logistical elements akin to Hell Let Loose, Squad and Arma, launching with three maps (each with three variations) and various vehicles and weapons; its main mode, Control Zone, has three mercenary teams fighting to capture locations and earn cash for a meta-progression system. Bulkhead expects the early access period to last roughly 24 months, focusing on performance, stability, balance and community feedback.
- Wardogs, a 100-player shooter, enters Steam early access on 10th September
- Closed beta runs 21st-23rd August; refunds offered to unhappy testers
- Priced $40 in early access, rising to $60 at full launch
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Wardogs is a large-scale first-person shooter made by Bulkhead Games, a British studio previously known for the World War Two shooter Battalion 1944 and the puzzle game The Turing Test. Wardogs pits up to 100 players against each other in battles that combine infantry combat, vehicles and heavier weaponry, drawing comparisons to games such as Battlefield, Hell Let Loose and Squad. It has generated significant interest before release, with hundreds of thousands of people adding it to their Steam wishlists.
The game is being released using early access, a common approach on the PC platform Steam where a game is sold to the public before it is finished, allowing the developer to gather player feedback and make changes while also earning revenue during development. This differs from a traditional closed beta, which is typically a smaller, invite-only test used to iron out problems before a wider release. Bulkhead has been running closed testing for Wardogs for some months as it prepares for the early access launch.
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