Although the game has already reached over 200,000 concurrent players, the developers say this growth should be handled more cautiously.
Although the number of concurrent players on Steam is a useful metric for gauging a game’s popularity, it only provides an incomplete picture. It’s just one data point, yet the internet uses it as the flimsy foundation upon which elaborate theories about a game’s quality, viability, and whether it’s dead are built. Sometimes, these attacks are so successful and the resulting public opinion is so difficult to refute that simply labeling a game as “dead” can seal its fate.
We find this trend immensely annoying, so we appreciate it when a developer openly discusses the number of concurrent players, how many they consider “healthy,” and why it’s normal for that number to rise and fall. This is a recurring theme for the developer of Wardogs, Bulkhead Interactive, whose closed beta already boasts over 200,000 concurrent players on Steam. In response to a TimTheTatman video, CEO Joe Brammer spoke about the milsim’s unexpected popularity, as well as its inevitable (but healthy) decline.
“Wardogs will continue to lose players for months as the hype dies down. That doesn’t make it a bad game or a problem. We planned for 5,000 concurrent players! It’ll maintain a healthy player base, and we’ll continue to build the 1.0 version of the game. Then, it’ll boom again. And so the cycle continues,” Brammer wrote.
Many of us are familiar with this cycle, but we rarely acknowledge it. We develop cycles around our favorite multiplayer games, returning to them regularly, whether because of an update or to satisfy our craving. It’s a fairly healthy way to enjoy games. However, the rise of “live service” and “evergreen” games, along with some high-profile failures, has spread the notion that games are like sharks: once they stop swimming, they die. Unlike games released before 2016, Bulkhead doesn’t need Wardogs to be a constant, chart-topping blockbuster to stay afloat. In a video released last month, Howard Philpott, the game’s director, listed 10 reasons not to buy Wardogs and explained Bulkhead’s expectations in detail.
“We expect to have a lot more players in the initial days after launch than expected, but we can tell you for a fact that this is completely normal. Those players will fall away over the next few months. Player numbers will drop, and journalists and influencers on the fringe of the community will try to bait you into getting angry about the game for social media clicks. This doesn’t mean the game is dying. We’re thinking longer term than a flash in the pan. Our goal is to establish a sustainable, close-knit community. If we’re pulling in 3,000 to 5,000 daily concurrent players who genuinely love the game, it’ll allow new players to join an active community anytime,” Philpott said.
Wardogs will be released on September 10. Pre-ordering grants access to the closed beta, which ends this Sunday.
Source: PCGamer
@timthetatman is correct.
But that’s no different to any game, Wardogs will continue to lose players for months, as the hype dies down.
Doesn’t make it a bad game or even a problem, we planned for 5k players concurrent! It’ll maintain a healthy playerbase and we’ll continue… https://t.co/bZ2aiYsAiw
— Joe Brammer (@Brammflakes) September 4, 2026
