Bulkhead Studios CEO Joe Brammer says the entire Wardogs team is taking December 2026 off and wants players to spend the month playing GTA 6 instead of waiting around for updates.
Key points
- Bulkhead Studios CEO Joe Brammer told Edge Magazine the entire studio is taking a break throughout December 2026.
- Brammer said players can "go play GTA 6" while the Wardogs team takes time off to recover after Early Access launch.
- Wardogs entered Early Access in September 2026 and has drawn roughly 40,000 reviews with a "Mixed" rating, 51 percent positive.
- GTA 6 launches November 19 for PS5 and Xbox and is expected to dominate gaming conversation into next year.
- Bulkhead was acquired by Super Media Group in December 2025 and previously developed Battalion 1944.
The admission matters because most studios quietly adjust their release calendars around Rockstar’s game without saying so publicly. Bulkhead is doing the opposite, openly telling its community to go elsewhere for a month rather than pretending the competition does not exist.
Brammer’s Blunt Message to the Community
In an interview with Edge Magazine, reported by GamesRadar+, Brammer confirmed Bulkhead will shut down for an extended break covering all of December. He did not frame it as a secret. “We’re going to make sure players know they can f**k off in December,” he said, before adding, “Go play GTA 6, we need to detox.”
The comment is unusual for a studio that only recently launched a game into Early Access. Developers typically scramble to keep players engaged right after a launch window, pushing patches, events and roadmap teasers to hold attention. Brammer is instead pointing players toward Rockstar’s November 19 release for PS5 and Xbox, a title analysts expect could pull in more than $5 billion in its first week alone, according to industry estimates cited in the report.
Why the Studio Says It Needs a Break
Brammer tied the decision to the workload his team carried getting Wardogs ready for Early Access and shipping its Season 2 content. “Everyone has done something that’s not in their job description. Everyone wears multiple hats, because they can see the path to success with the product,” he told Edge Magazine.
That kind of cross-functional effort, he suggested, left little room for anyone to step back during the run-up to launch. The December break is effectively payback for months of staff covering roles outside their normal jobs. Brammer acknowledged the downside: a full month without updates means players will wait longer for bug fixes and balance changes.
A Mixed Reception So Far
See also: GTA 6 Will Feature Fully Working Buses and Trains.
Related: GTA 6 Original Score by Justice: Pre-Order Guide, Price.
