{"rewrite":{"id":"r_d0db64b76812c3f9740921f8","clusterId":"c_a93824527ad18c6d6b9207b5","slug":"wardogs-names-cheaters-as-11th-reason-not-to-buy-the-game","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"WARDOGS Dev Publishes \"11th Reason Not to Buy\" Over Cheaters","summary":"BULKHEAD released a video titled \"The 11th Reason Not to Buy\" for its 100-player military FPS WARDOGS, days before the game's Steam early access launch at 1:00 AM JST on September 11, 2026. The video states that cheaters are unavoidable regardless of countermeasures, and that players who cannot accept that should not buy the game. The studio says it will combine four methods to detect, track, and ban cheaters: intrusion prevention systems, machine learning, and analysis of player behavioral data. It warned that anyone who buys the game again on a new account after a ban will have their payment taken and be banned again. In a follow-up released alongside pre-download on September 10, BULKHEAD detailed Season 1 changes from the beta, including a report tracking system that weights reports and reduces the impact of repeated or malicious ones, plus revisions to the XP table, economy prices, and vehicle balance. During early access, up to 100 players split into three teams and fight over randomly placed control zones. Team17 is publishing, and PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are planned for 2028.","whyItMatters":"BULKHEAD is selling a game it openly says will contain cheating and asking the community to absorb the consequences through in-game reporting and player-run servers, a public tradeoff most studios avoid stating before launch.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eBULKHEAD\u0026#39;s launch trailer, \u0026#34;PLAY LIKE YOU USED TO,\u0026#34; pays homage to the \u0026#34;Believe\u0026#34; trailer for Halo 3. The theme comes from beta test feedback, with the studio quoting players who said, \u0026#34;I haven\u0026#39;t enjoyed an FPS this much in years.\u0026#34; The trailer celebrates an era when multiplayer games were social and unpredictable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe anti-cheat video sits in a series. An earlier \u0026#34;10 Reasons Not to Buy\u0026#34; discussed thin early access content, a price some might find high, and player counts dropping after launch. Wishlist registrations passed 1 million after that video. An August 11 press release put wishlists at 800,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe studio frames cheating enforcement as shared work. It told players the split between developer countermeasures and community cooperation is \u0026#34;50:50,\u0026#34; and asked them to report suspicious players through the in-game tool.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003ePlayer-run community servers ship with RCON tools, letting admins ban players on the spot.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eAdmins can configure maps, lighting, and the player levels allowed to join.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eCustomization options will expand during early access.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe studio asked players not to spread cheater footage or anxiety-stoking posts on social media, saying it inflates the perceived scale of the problem and can advertise cheat providers. It said it does not intend to ban discussion of cheating.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeta figures cited by the studio include 240,000 players in an open beta that ended September 6, and a peak above 160,000 concurrent players in the final beta, topping the previous test by more than 50,000.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"BULKHEAD warns that a cheater who rebuys WARDOGS on a new account will have the payment taken and the account banned again. That second charge is the deterrent, not the ban.","twitterPost":"BULKHEAD's real anti-cheat lever in WARDOGS is billing: a banned player who rebuys has the payment taken and the new account banned too.","threadsPost":"BULKHEAD says four detection methods will not fully stop cheaters in WARDOGS and tells people who cannot accept that not to buy it. The sharper detail sits in the enforcement: a banned player who rebuys on a new account has the payment taken and gets banned again. The threat is the lost charge, not the ban.","newsletterBlurb":"Four days before WARDOGS hits Steam early access, BULKHEAD published a video telling players that cheaters are unavoidable and that they should not buy the game if that is a dealbreaker. The studio says it will still ban aggressively, including taking payment from anyone who rebuys after a ban.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/981/G098198/20260910061/\",\"title\":\"WARDOGS Early Access Starts at 1:00 JST on the 11th. Console Support in 2028 Also Announced\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/09/171973.html\",\"title\":\"\\\"Cheaters will always appear\\\" - Just before the release of the 100-player FPS 'WARDOGS,' \\\"The 11th Reason Not to Buy\\\" is published\"},{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/09/27975.html\",\"title\":\"\\\"Cheaters will always show up\\\" - Largest 100-player FPS 'WARDOGS' reveals '11th reason you shouldn't buy it' just before release\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/10/172078.html\",\"title\":\"War begins September 11 at 1:00 AM! Pre-download begins for early access version of WARDOGS\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/10/172090.html\",\"title\":\"100-Player Military FPS 'WARDOGS' Also Coming to PS5/Xbox Series X|S in 2028!\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":22592,"outputTokens":1717,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788937475,"createdAt":"2026-09-09T06:59:37.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-09T07:03:21.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-10T12:24:30.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_a93824527ad18c6d6b9207b5","canonicalTitle":"“チーターは必ず現れる”―最大100人FPS『WARDOGS』リリース直前に「買うべきではない11番目の理由」公開。4種の対策あるも完全には防げないが厳格に処分","representativeArticleId":"a_5538fc711d45134d6978a9a5","sourceCount":5,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"WARDOGS\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-09T06:11:52.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-14T08:30:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-14T08:36:48.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/038/G003821/20260912002/","title":"週刊Steam広場 第170号：「Valheim」が正式リリースされ，「WARDOGS」の早期アクセスがスタート"},{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260914e","title":"【大人気】北欧神話風のサバイバルゲーム『Valheim』Steam同接が「30万人」を突破！正式版リリースにあわせ人気再燃"},{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260911-466715/","title":"大注目の100人対戦FPS『WARDOGS』開幕直後からプレイヤー殺到、一時は「20万人待ち」に。まず立ちはだかる“ログイン戦争”"},{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/14/28039.html","title":"北欧神話風オープンワールドサバクラ『Valheim』正式版リリースで再び盛況―Steam版の最大同時接続者数が30万人突破！"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/14/172228.html","title":"北欧神話風オープンワールドサバクラ『Valheim』正式版リリースで再び盛況―Steam版の最大同時接続者数が30万人突破！"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["WARDOGS"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["WARDOGS early access begins on PC via Steam at 1:00 AM JST on September 11, 2026.","WARDOGS supports up to 100 players split into three teams fighting over randomly placed control zones.","BULKHEAD says it will use four methods to detect, track, and ban cheaters: intrusion prevention systems, machine learning, and analysis of player behavioral data.","PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of WARDOGS are planned for release in 2028.","Steam wishlist registrations for WARDOGS passed 1 million after the \"10 Reasons Not to Buy\" video, up from 800,000 announced in a press release dated August 11 local time."]}