Developer Bulkhead has introduced region locking to its multiplayer first-person shooter Wardogs, a move intended to protect the majority of players from an increase in cheating. The studio stated its goal is to safeguard the largest possible player base from regions perceived as more prone to cheating. However, this decision has prompted significant backlash from legitimate players, particularly in Asia, who feel unfairly targeted, and from cross-region players who can no longer connect with friends.
The region lock functions by limiting the maximum acceptable ping to 175, a method designed to prevent players from distant regions with unstable connections from joining matches. Bulkhead believes this will also curb cheating.
"We have decided [to protect] the largest amount of players from an influx of regions that are more prone to cheating," Bulkhead announced via X (formerly Twitter). "It’s disappointing for us to have to put these divisions in place with social experience being such a core focus of Wardogs, but we must prioritize the largest group of players over the minority."
The developer acknowledged the delay in addressing the issue, stating, "We’re sorry we let it get to this point that we are forced to make this decision, but we felt that giving certain regions the opportunity to prevail was the right move. Unfortunately, it has not panned out as we’d hoped and we’ll be getting stricter on cross pollination of regions."
This policy change has led some players to seek refunds, citing their inability to play with international friends. "As an American with Australian friends this is a bullst change," one player commented. Another added, "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."
Players from Asia have expressed feelings of discrimination, with one stating, "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." They further described experiencing negative in-game interactions where their legitimate kills are mislabeled as cheating due to high ping.
Many players argue that the implementation of region locks is a superficial solution that negatively impacts all regions rather than directly addressing the core problem of identifying and banning cheaters effectively.
Wardogs CEO Joe Brammer responded to the criticism, acknowledging the negative impact on a portion of the player base. "Appreciate that we’re harming a % of players to protect the larger," he stated on X. "We will find a solution, this issue is bigger than Wardogs though… We’re working on solutions for global players… Sucks."
Brammer clarified that the current ping-based solution is a temporary measure, not a permanent fix. "That is coming but takes longer than it needs to be," he explained, adding that tracking player origins accurately due to factors like VPN usage is complex and not a simple matter of flipping a switch.