From relative obscurity, British studio Bulkhead has achieved what the games industry rarely witnesses: a mid-budget, non-franchise shooter breaking through the noise of established giants. Within five days of its Steam Early Access launch, WARDOGS sold two million copies and drew nearly 430,000 players simultaneously — numbers that rival franchises built over decades. Yet the moment of triumph arrived shadowed by a quieter reckoning, as the studio's CEO publicly acknowledged screening job candidates for anti-crunch sentiment, reopening one of the industry's most enduring moral wounds.