Wardogs, the military shooter developed by Bulkhead, recorded over 1,25 millones de copias sales during its first 12 hours in Steam early access, according to figures released by the studio. Released on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, the game drew more than más de 340.000 concurrent players, overwhelming studio projections and causing server outages on launch night.
Prior to the release, Bulkhead estimated that Wardogs would attract roughly unos 5,000 concurrent users. Actual traffic multiplied that expectation by more than 68, with data from SteamDB showing a peak of 340,171 simultaneous players. That volume placed the shooter at number 46 on the list of highest concurrent player peaks in Steam history, arriving before its first full weekend on the market.
Server Outages and Infrastructure Strain
The surge in player volume created immediate technical hurdles for the studio. According to Bulkhead, the servers failed to handle the volume of connections and collapsed on Thursday night, leaving the game temporarily inaccessible to buyers connecting from across the platform. The studio had not built infrastructure to support a player base of that scale for the debut.
Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer described the million-plus sales milestone during launch day as unexpected given the early access status of the product. Brammer noted that the team spent months communicating expectations to players, including the release of a video detailing ten reasons not to purchase the game, intended to clarify its in-development limitations before charging money for it.
Early Access Roadmap and Console Plans
Bulkhead intends to keep Wardogs in early access for one to two years. During this phase, the shooter will receive content updates, though the studio has not yet published a detailed calendar or confirmed the timing of the first major patch.
Planned additions include new maps, weapons, vehicles, deeper profession systems, and seasonal objectives designed to sustain player engagement outside of standard matches. Alongside content expansion, the team must address server stability to accommodate the player numbers recorded during the launch window.
Throughout the early access period, Wardogs remains exclusive to PC via Steam. Bulkhead confirmed that ports for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series are scheduled for 2028, setting a roughly two-year wait for console players from the initial PC release.
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