Following the launch of War Dogs, a massive influx of players quickly overwhelmed the servers, causing queue times to steadily increase. Developer Bulkhead then set up priority access for certain streamers, sparking player outrage. The studio later issued a public apology, admitting the decision was a mistake.
In the first few days after launch, the game's concurrent player count on Steam exceeded 340,000, with a peak nearing 430,000. Bulkhead had clearly underestimated the scale of player interest; CEO Joe Brammer stated that the studio had been planning its infrastructure based on an estimated 30,000 concurrent players just six months prior.
The actual number far exceeded expectations, with approximately 200,000 players entering the queue almost simultaneously. Subsequent technical failures and DDoS attacks further worsened the situation. Many players were unable to access the game normally, making long wait times the primary issue during the initial launch period.
During a livestream, Brammer admitted that the studio had indeed established a mechanism allowing certain streamers to bypass the regular queue. The development team later apologized via in-game server messages, using blunt language to criticize their own actions, while emphasizing that the involved streamers had not actively requested special treatment and that full responsibility lay with the studio.
Bulkhead also announced that these streamers would be moved to the back of the queue the following day. The studio further explained that the priority system itself had experienced glitches, meaning that seeing streamers playing normally did not necessarily indicate they were using priority access; some may have simply logged in earlier and accessed servers that were still operational at the time.
However, the studio has confirmed that some streamers did receive priority access. With server capacity insufficient and large numbers of regular players still stuck in queues, this preferential treatment directly impacted players' ability to enter the game. Bulkhead ultimately reversed the arrangement and accepted responsibility.