Bulkhead co-founder Joe Brammer has provided a candid look at the studio's trajectory, highlighting the pivotal role Battalion 1944 played in shaping the team's development philosophy. While the studio is currently seeing success with Wardogs—which has sold over three million copies since its September 2026 launch on PC—Brammer views the earlier Battalion 1944 as a necessary, albeit painful, learning experience.

The Battalion 1944 Launch Failure

Reflecting on the studio's history, the team identified Battalion 1944 as the project that defined their identity. Despite a successful Kickstarter campaign and high visibility on Twitch, the game’s release was marred by a critical backend failure. Brammer explains that the team relied on Google App Engine, which functioned during alpha and beta testing. However, the service had an arbitrary limit of 12,345 users, causing the servers to crash immediately upon hitting that specific player threshold.

UI and UX designer Howard Philpott noted the frustration of watching high-profile streamers like TimTheTatman attempt to play the game while the team was unable to resolve the server lockouts in real-time. Brammer acknowledges that, in hindsight, the studio lacked the experience to anticipate such bottlenecks, labeling the event a "huge scar" that significantly impacted the team's confidence at the time.

Bulkhead’s Evolution and Ownership

The studio's path following Battalion 1944 included a period under Splash Damage, which acquired Bulkhead in December 2022. Following the sale of Splash Damage by parent company Tencent in 2025, Bulkhead underwent a management buyback process led by Brammer to regain independence. This transition concluded in December 2025, clearing the way for the development and early access release of Wardogs.

Current Studio Culture and Future Plans

Brammer maintains that the studio's current success is rooted in a culture of high expectations and creative discipline. He notes that the team expects "crunch" when necessary to ensure the survival and success of their projects. Looking forward, the studio plans to expand with a new office in Manchester and intends to continue utilizing their proprietary FPS technology for future projects, with a shift toward empowering junior and mid-level staff to take on leadership roles.