Bulkhead has rolled out ping-based region locking in its multiplayer first-person shooter Wardogs, setting a maximum ping limit of 175 to prevent players from distant regions from joining matches with unstable connections. The studio framed the decision as a necessary step to protect "the largest amount of players from an influx of regions that are more prone to cheating," according to a statement posted on social media. For players who bought the game specifically to squad up with friends across oceans, this change arrives as a rug pull that breaks the core social experience Wardogs was built around.
The region lock is done by limiting the maximum ping — the player’s connection with the server — to 175. On paper, this is a fair, non-discriminatory way to stop players from distant regions from entering games with an unstable connection. According to Bulkhead, this would cut down on cheating, too. Players learned of the tweak only when they could no longer join lobbies with friends from other regions. Joe Brammer, the CEO of Bulkhead, admitted the move caused unintended fallout, saying the team was “harming a % of players to protect the larger” and vowing more permanent fixes for global gamers. This isn’t just a hiccup in one title; it underscores the friction between aggressive anti‑cheat tactics and the worldwide, cross‑region communities that contemporary multiplayer games increasingly depend on.
How the Ping-Based Region Lock Works
The technical implementation relies on a hard ping ceiling of 175 milliseconds, which on paper functions as a connection-quality filter rather than a geographic ban. Players whose connection to the game server exceeds that threshold are prevented from joining, a method Bulkhead describes as "a fair, non-discriminatory way to stop players from distant regions from entering games with an unstable connection." The studio argues this approach simultaneously addresses high-ping latency issues and reduces cheating by limiting access from regions where cheating is reportedly more prevalent.
For the actual player experience, this means anyone attempting to play with friends across significant geographic distances — North America to Australia, Europe to Asia, or similar long-haul routes — will likely hit the ping ceiling and find themselves locked out. A 175ms limit sounds generous until you account for the reality of international routing, where even stable fiber connections between continents regularly exceed 200ms. The result is a de facto region lock that presents itself as a technical necessity rather than a policy choice, leaving affected players with no workaround short of using a VPN — which Brammer himself noted complicates efforts to track where players are actually based.
CEO Joe Brammer Responds to Criticism
"Appreciate that we're harming a % of players to protect the larger"
Joe Brammer, CEO of Bulkhead
"We will find a solution, this issue is bigger than Wardogs though... We're working on solutions for global players... Sucks."
Joe Brammer, CEO of Bulkhead
"That is coming but takes longer than it needs to be... It's not as simple as 'flip a switch'... tracking where people are actually based is not straight forward (VPN etc etc)."
Joe Brammer, CEO of Bulkhead
Community Reaction: Discrimination Accusations and Refund Requests
The response from players has been overwhelmingly negative across multiple fronts. American players with Australian friends called the change "bullst" and questioned why the studio didn't simply restrict access from China directly rather than implementing a blanket ping limit that catches everyone. Another player announced a refund request, writing: "I didn't buy Wardogs to play some hardcore shooter, I got it to play with my mates, and there was no bullst ping limit. Nor will this actually stop cheaters." The refund angle is significant — these are not free-to-play users but paying customers who feel the product they purchased has been materially altered post-launch.
Asian players have voiced the most pointed criticism, framing the measure as discriminatory. "What you clearly should be doing is strengthening the anti-cheat mode, yet the measure you've taken is to outright ban us Asian players," one player wrote. "We have to endure discrimination against Asians: a normal kill on a player gets flagged as a high-ping player [and is] instantly labeled a 'Chinese cheater' in the public channel." This testimony reveals a second-order effect: the region lock legitimizes the assumption that high-ping Asian players are cheaters, fueling in-game harassment that persists even for those who can still connect. Dozens of similar posts in the announcement replies suggest this sentiment is widespread, not isolated.
What This Means for Players
The fundamental problem Bulkhead faces is that cheating in competitive shooters is a hydra — cut off one head (region-based cheat distribution) and two more appear (VPN usage, account buying, sophisticated cheat injection). A ping limit of 175ms is a blunt instrument that cannot distinguish between a cheater in a "high-risk region" and a legitimate player in Singapore trying to play with friends in Sydney. The studio's own emphasis on "social experience being such a core focus of Wardogs" makes the self-inflicted wound to that experience particularly damaging. Players who organized communities around cross-region play now face a choice: abandon their international squads, pressure the studio for a reversal, or leave the game entirely.
Brammer's promise of a better solution is the only path forward that doesn't permanently alienate the global player base. But "working on solutions" without a timeline or architectural details is thin reassurance for players who have already lost access to the game they paid for. The industry standard for this problem — solid kernel-level anti-cheat, behavioral analysis, hardware bans, and rapid manual review pipelines — is expensive and technically demanding. Whether Bulkhead has the resources to build it, or whether Wardogs' player count justifies the investment, remains an open question. For now, the ping limit stands, the refunds are processing, and the community that made the game social is fragmenting.
Key Takeaways
- Bulkhead implemented a 175ms ping limit in Wardogs to restrict cross-region play, citing cheating from specific regions as the primary driver.
- CEO Joe Brammer acknowledged the measure harms a percentage of legitimate players but defended it as protecting the larger player base.
- Players across regions have criticized the change as discriminatory against Asian players, ineffective against determined cheaters using VPNs, and a betrayal of the game's social focus.
- Refund requests are mounting from players who purchased Wardogs specifically for cross-region play with friends.
Wardogs sits at an inflection point familiar to many live-service shooters: the moment anti-cheat urgency collides with community reality. Bulkhead's next move — whether a genuine technical solution materializes or the ping limit becomes permanent — will determine if the studio can repair trust with the global players it just locked out. The cheating problem is real, but so is the damage of treating an entire region's player base as collateral damage. Watch for the next update; it will reveal whether "working on solutions" was a commitment or a deflection.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Why is Wardogs implementing region locking?
Bulkhead is implementing region locking to protect the largest amount of players from an influx of regions that are more prone to cheating.
How does the region lock work technically?
The region lock limits the maximum ping to 175 to prevent players from distant regions from entering games with an unstable connection.
Can I still play Wardogs with my international friends?
Players are being blocked from joining their friends across regions due to the new ping limit, leading some to request refunds.
Is the ping-based region lock a permanent solution?
CEO Joe Brammer stated the current ping-based solution is a quick fix and not a permanent solution, and that a better fix is coming but takes longer to implement.
What has the community reaction been to the region locking?
The general vibe is that this is a poor change that will negatively impact players across all regions instead of dealing with the core issue of identifying and quickly banning cheaters.
