WARDOGS Developers Speak Openly About Monetization
WARDOGS surpassed the development team’s expectations during its closed beta in August, reaching 105,774 concurrent Steam players. This large-scale FPS, pitting three teams against a total of 100 players, stands out with its monetization-driven King of the Hill structure and sandbox approach. However, one of the key differentiators BULKHEAD aims for is the game’s monetization model.
WARDOGS Will Not Use Additional Monetization in Early Access
According to BULKHEAD CEO Joe Brammer and senior game director Mark Pinney, WARDOGS will only generate revenue through base game sales and supporter editions during early access. Battle passes, paid cosmetic packs, or similar additional monetization systems are not planned for this period. The team will also focus directly on release 1.0 instead of releasing a comprehensive roadmap filled with unrealistic promises.
The situation will change with the full release of the game. BULKHEAD explicitly states that with version 1.0, new monetization systems will be implemented, and the base game price will increase to reflect the added content. Those who purchased the game at a lower price during early access will continue to have access to new maps, modes, weapons, and gameplay options that will be added later.
Brammer acknowledges that this approach may provoke a reaction from some players. However, the studio believes that making a good game, supporting the community, and monetizing it are not mutually exclusive goals. The team specifically states that they want to avoid falling into the same traps as major franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield, given their previous criticisms of their monetization choices.
BULKHEAD’s approach to the community is also quite clear. Brammer says they don’t intend to change design decisions to please every player, emphasizing that the game has a strong vision and they won’t deviate from it simply because major publishers or popular streamers want them to. WARDOGS’ priority will be to complete version 1.0 first, and only expand the monetization side after the core experience has matured sufficiently.
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