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WARDOGS Dev Publishes "11th Reason Not to Buy" Over Cheaters

BULKHEAD is selling a game it openly says will contain cheating and asking the community to absorb the consequences through in-game reporting and player-run servers, a public tradeoff most studios avoid stating before launch.

Key Facts

  • WARDOGS early access begins on PC via Steam at 1:00 AM JST on September 11, 2026.
  • WARDOGS supports up to 100 players split into three teams fighting over randomly placed control zones.
  • BULKHEAD says it will use four methods to detect, track, and ban cheaters: intrusion prevention systems, machine learning, and analysis of player behavioral data.
  • PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of WARDOGS are planned for release in 2028.
  • Steam wishlist registrations for WARDOGS passed 1 million after the "10 Reasons Not to Buy" video, up from 800,000 announced in a press release dated August 11 local time.

Reporting from 5 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, Automaton, GameBusiness.jp, and 1 more.

WARDOGS Dev Publishes "11th Reason Not to Buy" Over Cheaters

BULKHEAD released a video titled "The 11th Reason Not to Buy" for its 100-player military FPS WARDOGS, days before the game's Steam early access launch at 1:00 AM JST on September 11, 2026. The video states that cheaters are unavoidable regardless of countermeasures, and that players who cannot accept that should not buy the game. The studio says it will combine four methods to detect, track, and ban cheaters: intrusion prevention systems, machine learning, and analysis of player behavioral data. It warned that anyone who buys the game again on a new account after a ban will have their payment taken and be banned again. In a follow-up released alongside pre-download on September 10, BULKHEAD detailed Season 1 changes from the beta, including a report tracking system that weights reports and reduces the impact of repeated or malicious ones, plus revisions to the XP table, economy prices, and vehicle balance. During early access, up to 100 players split into three teams and fight over randomly placed control zones. Team17 is publishing, and PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are planned for 2028.

BULKHEAD's launch trailer, "PLAY LIKE YOU USED TO," pays homage to the "Believe" trailer for Halo 3. The theme comes from beta test feedback, with the studio quoting players who said, "I haven't enjoyed an FPS this much in years." The trailer celebrates an era when multiplayer games were social and unpredictable.

The anti-cheat video sits in a series. An earlier "10 Reasons Not to Buy" discussed thin early access content, a price some might find high, and player counts dropping after launch. Wishlist registrations passed 1 million after that video. An August 11 press release put wishlists at 800,000.

The studio frames cheating enforcement as shared work. It told players the split between developer countermeasures and community cooperation is "50:50," and asked them to report suspicious players through the in-game tool.

  • Player-run community servers ship with RCON tools, letting admins ban players on the spot.
  • Admins can configure maps, lighting, and the player levels allowed to join.
  • Customization options will expand during early access.

The studio asked players not to spread cheater footage or anxiety-stoking posts on social media, saying it inflates the perceived scale of the problem and can advertise cheat providers. It said it does not intend to ban discussion of cheating.

Beta figures cited by the studio include 240,000 players in an open beta that ended September 6, and a peak above 160,000 concurrent players in the final beta, topping the previous test by more than 50,000.

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 5 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

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