Credit: X (Twitter)
Wardogs has taken off on Steam despite launching in early access at $40. The studio plans to raise the price to $49.99 in about 12 months and $59.99 in about 24 months.
The studio says the pricing reflects the game’s expanding scope and the cost of continuing development, rather than keeping the early access price unchanged until launch. In an interview with GamesRadar+ at Gamescom, he said, “If you want to play a cheaper FPS, you may go and play a cheaper FPS. Now, developer Bulkhead is already planning further price increases as the shooter adds content and development continues. Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer has made the studio’s position clear: players who don’t want to pay more for Wardogs have other options. That’s absolutely fine. But this is what our game is worth. Our game is worth this, and if you don’t agree with that, please don’t buy it.”
Studio says higher price is needed for long-term support
Bulkhead currently sells Wardogs for $40 in early access. After another 12 months, the price is planned to rise again to $59.99. The studio therefore believes its pricing needs to reflect the resources required to keep making the game.
“We have scaling pricing,” he said. The price is expected to increase to $49.99 when the game reaches version “0.5,” which the studio expects to happen in around 12 months, according to Brammer. “If you don’t want to get in now, wait for there to be more content, more stuff, buy it later,” Brammer noted. Bulkhead describes itself as sitting between “indie” and “AA,” although Brammer acknowledged the terms aren’t always clearly defined. The developer is building Wardogs with detailed visuals and physics, which Brammer says require significant development time and money. He acknowledged that the pricing model sets a “precedent” and said players should expect the level of quality that matches the price they pay.
Brammer explained the pricing strategy during the interview. The approach gives players a choice: buy in early at a lower price or wait for more content and pay the higher price later. “You want to buy in cheap now? That’s fine too. But really, we just think it’s fair to scale the price as the game becomes bigger and bigger and bigger. Brammer also addressed the cost of developing Wardogs and how the studio sees itself between independent development and larger-budget production. Brammer claimed, “no one knows what these mean. But you can see this isn’t just an indie FPS game. “Our thing is like, ‘Look, we control our salaries and we don’t want to blow them out the water or anything. This game costs a lot to make. If you want to play a cheaper FPS, you may go and play a cheaper FPS. That’s absolutely fine. But this is what our game is worth. Our game is worth this, and if you don’t agree with that, please don’t buy it.’” Brammer continued. Brammer is also aware that increasing the price during early access could attract criticism, particularly if players believe certain problems have not yet been fixed. He also recognised that some players could question a price increase while issues remain in the game. For Bulkhead, however, the argument comes down to the long-term cost of maintaining and developing Wardogs. “We believe that our price needs to go up to make this game sustainable. Otherwise, how can we support the game long term? It is a big FPS game that costs money to make,” Brammer added. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.