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In their latest video, Bulkhead have been pretty open about their upcoming all-out warfare shooter, Wardogs, and why this game might not be for you. In a way, it's a reverse psychology trick on the players, but it's marketing, and we don't mind it; quite the contrary, it's actually refreshing to see a dev release a video titled "10 reasons NOT to buy our game".
In the video, Bulkhead explained a couple of things, including how they plan to make money from Wardogs, just as they announced plans for early access launch on Steam.
No cash shop during early access
The studio has committed to three specific promises for the early access period. There'll be no monetisation of any kind while the game is in early access, in-game cash and gold bars can only be earned through play rather than bought, and cosmetic camos won't be purchasable at all, since Bulkhead wants them to reflect player skill rather than spending.
The one exception is an optional supporter's edition, which includes three starter weapon skins, a helicopter skin, a couple of bobbleheads, and a scoreboard tag for players who want to show their support.
Long-term monetisation is coming, just not yet
Additionally, Bulkhead has been clear that Wardogs won't stay free of monetisation forever. Base game sales at the 1.0 launch will give the studio a financial boost, but ongoing costs, including server upkeep, anti-cheat, telemetry and continued development, will need covering long after that. The studio says it's discussing this years in advance specifically so players know what they're buying into, rather than springing changes on the community later.
Bulkhead also points out that Wardogs' IP is owned entirely by the studio itself, giving it full control over how that eventually plays out.
It's certainly an encouraging message, and what's even more convincing is the fact that Bulkhead had no problem mentioning their previous mistakes with the failed shooter, Battalion 1944, which they had to abandon immediately after launch due to poor player count and a twitchy relationship with the publisher.
Reading between the lines, the studio seems to be in a much better situation now to support Wardogs for years to come.
Wardogs launches into Steam Early Access on September 10, with pre-orders live now.
Wardogs screenshots
