Bulkhead Interactive has made the swift decision to abandon a "bribery" initiative introduced at the start of Wardogs Season 2. The strategy, intended to incentivize players to join the Blue team, proved to be overwhelmingly effective, resulting in an unintended dominance that forced the developers to pivot immediately.

An Unintended Competitive Imbalance

Initially, the studio implemented a bonus system offering a 5% increase in Lonestar cash and a 2.5% boost in experience points (XP) for those playing on the Blue team. According to Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer, while these percentages seemed modest, they created a significant shift in game balance, particularly among high-level players. As Brammer frankly admitted, "We were wrong. We fked up."

Co-founder Howard Philpott noted that the studio anticipated some movement toward the Blue team, but they did not foresee the scale of the "swing." Furthermore, the bonuses negatively affected match stability, as players were reportedly leaving games if they were unable to secure a spot on the favored side.

Addressing Player Exploits and Progression

The decision to remove the incentives was framed as an experiment that yielded clear, albeit undesirable, results. Following this backtrack, the team is shifting focus to broader technical improvements. Key updates being rolled out include:

  • Complete removal of the Blue team's XP and cash bonuses.
  • Corrections to the driver progression system.
  • A fix for a critical exploit that allowed players to access tanks earlier than intended.

Regarding the exploit, the studio has taken a firm stance against abuse. Brammer confirmed that players identified as "very clearly" exploiting the system—totaling fewer than 1,000 individuals—will face a 24-hour ban, alongside a reset of their accrued cash and XP.

Moving Forward

Despite the setback with the team-balancing bonuses, other changes introduced in Season 2 are seeing success. Specifically, adjustments to spawn points on the Bakurani map have proven effective and will remain in place. Looking ahead, Bulkhead has promised more content, including the upcoming introduction of limited-mode servers that will exclude power weapons and vehicles, aiming to provide a more tailored experience for the community.