What happens when thousands of players are so eager for a new shooter that they turn up before the doors have even opened? That is the problem developer Bulkhead is now facing with Wardogs, its upcoming 100-player military shooter. More than 30,000 players reportedly flooded into the game’s firing range 24 hours before the final closed beta was due to begin, giving the developer an early taste of the demand it will need to handle.
• More than 30,000 players entered the firing range early
• Wardogs has passed one million Steam wishlists
• The game is preparing for its final closed beta
The unexpected turnout comes just weeks after a previous Wardogs playtest attracted nearly 500,000 players. The overwhelming response caused severe server congestion, with players unable to get into matches during the first hour. Bulkhead is now using the final beta as a controlled stress test ahead of the game’s September 10 early access launch.
• Earlier testing attracted almost 500,000 players
• Server capacity struggled under the sudden demand
• The final beta is designed to expose potential problems
The upcoming test runs from September 3 to 6 and requires players to pre-order the $40 game for access. Bulkhead initially planned to reveal the beta during its FPS Games Show livestream, although teasers led many fans to believe an open beta was coming. The developer instead opted for a more controlled rollout to see how its systems cope with the audience it could realistically face at launch.
• The final beta runs from September 3 to 6
• Access requires a $40 pre-order
• Developers want realistic server stress rather than an uncontrolled flood
That approach could prove important as Wardogs heads toward early access. Bulkhead has already reported more than one million Steam wishlists, suggesting the shooter has built a substantial audience before release. Testing everything from server browsers to matchmaking under heavy traffic could help prevent another launch-day bottleneck.
• Wardogs has more than one million Steam wishlists
• Server browsers and matchmaking are key areas being tested
• The goal is to avoid major launch-day outages
For now, the firing range has become an unexpected preview of what Bulkhead may be dealing with when early access arrives. Players were already piling into the feature before the beta officially started, with tens of thousands testing weapons and driving military vehicles around. If that enthusiasm continues, the biggest battle on September 10 may not be fought on the battlefield at all. It could be against the servers.
• Players are already stress-testing the game unintentionally
• The firing range attracted huge interest before the beta
• September 10 could deliver the game’s biggest server test yet
Via: PC Mag
