Wardogs Early Access Price to Rise to $59.99, Dev Says 'Don't Buy It' If You Disagree

Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer defends scaling pricing for Wardogs: $40 now, $49.99 in 12 months, $59.99 in 24 months. He tells unhappy players to wait or skip it.

Did you just drop $40 on Wardogs in early access? Well, guess what: that price is only going up. Joe Brammer, the outspoken CEO of developer Bulkhead, says the game will get more expensive as it grows. And he's totally fine if you don't like that.

In an interview with GamesRadar+ at Gamescom, Brammer laid out the plan. "We have scaling pricing," he said. Right now, you can grab Wardogs for $40. In 12 months—around the time the game hits version 0.5—the price jumps to $49.99. In 24 months, it'll cost $59.99. So if you want in cheap, now's your window.

"If you don't want to get in now, wait for there to be more content, more stuff, buy it later," Brammer said. "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 knows this might ruffle feathers. He acknowledged that some players will complain about price hikes when "we haven't fixed this and that." But he's not backing down. "Our game is worth this, and if you don't agree with that, please don't buy it," he said. He even compares Wardogs to cheaper FPS games, saying, "If you want to play a cheaper FPS, you may go and play a cheaper FPS. That's absolutely fine."

The studio sees itself as straddling the line between indie and AA—Brammer admits "no one knows what these mean"—but insists this isn't just another indie FPS. High-fidelity graphics and physics cost money and time. "We control our salaries and we don't want to blow them out the water," he said. "This game costs a lot to make." For Bulkhead, the price increase is about sustainability. "We believe that our price needs to go up to make this game sustainable," Brammer explained. "Otherwise, how can we support the game long term? It is a big FPS game that costs money to make. The end."

He also knows they're setting a "precedent" with this pricing model. Players should expect the quality to match the price, he says. And while some will be upset, Bulkhead is betting that enough players will see the value. After all, Wardogs has already become a breakout hit on Steam, even at $40.

So, will you buy in now before the price goes up, or wait for more content? Either way, Brammer says that's fine. But don't expect a discount later. What do you think about early access games raising their price over time? Let us know in the comments.