Bulkhead
| Text written in all caps with a spray painted red smily face to the right | |
Formerly | Bulkhead Interactive |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded 📆 | 18 November 2015 |
| Founder 👔 |
|
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , , England |
Number of locations | 2 |
Area served 🗺️ | |
Key people | Joe Brammer |
| Products 📟 | |
| Owner |
|
| Members | |
Number of employees | 100+ |
| Parent | Super Media Group |
| 🌐 Website | bulkhead.com |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Bulkhead (stylised in all caps) (formerly Bulkhead Interactive) is a British video game developer known for games like Wardogs and Battalion 1944. Bulkhead was founded in November 2015 in Derby, England, by University of Derby graduates Joe Brammer, David Jones, and Howard Philpott.
In 2018, video game publisher Square Enix Collective bought 20% of Bulkhead, leading to the 2019 video game Battalion 1944 being published by Square Enix Collective. Battalion 1944 became Bulkhead's biggest project at the time and sold over 500,000 units. In 2022, Bulkhead joined Tencent but quickly left when they declined the idea of their now biggest game, Wardogs, which was later published by Team17.
History
Bulkhead Interactive was founded on 18 November 2015 in Derby, England, by Joe Brammer, David Jones, and Howard Philpott.[1] The first video game made by Bulkhead, which was Pneuma: Breath of Life, was not actually by Bulkhead but rather by two studios called Deco Digital and Bevel Studios, who merged to form Bulkhead.[2][3] Bulkhead's first official video game under their name was The Turing Test.[4] In 2018, a 20% stake in Bulkhead was acquired by video game publisher Square Enix, building on the developer's prior partnership with the Square Enix Collective indie label.[5][6] After the acquisition, they published Bulkhead's 2019 video game Battalion 1944.[7] In 2019, they launched Battalion 1944, which was a commercial success, and it became Bulkhead's biggest game, selling over 580,000 units.[8]
In 2020, Bulkhead moved their offices to Cardinal Square; it expanded their office to over 6,000 ft. Meanwhile, they also renamed their office in Munich to Bulkhead Darkhorse and their office in Derby to Bulkhead Phoenix.[9][1][10] For years Square Enix Collective was the publisher behind many Bulkhead games, but in 2022 Bulkhead ended relationships with them because console ports for Battalion 1944 were cancelled.[11][12] In December 2022, Bulkhead joined Tencent after being purchased by Splash Damage, which is owned by Tencent, although Bulkhead quickly left when they proposed their now most popular video game, Wardogs, with a budget of £10 million to £12 million, but Tencent declined the idea and said it was "throwing money at people and problems".[13][14][15] After this, Bulkhead joined a consortium with Team17, who liked the idea, and in 2026, Wardogs was announced as a "Tactical All Out Warfare".[16][17] In December 2025, HIRO Capital bought part of Bulkhead and helped it go independent.[18]
Video games
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Pneuma: Breath of Life | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | [19] |
| 2016 | The Turing Test | Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Stadia | [20] |
| 2019 | Battalion 1944 | Windows | [21] |
| TBA[lower-alpha 1] | Wardogs | Windows | [22] |
Notes
- ↑ Released as an early access game in 2026
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wright, Louise (2020-02-07). "Leading British Game Developer Expand at Cardinal Square". Bdaily Business News. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ "Deco Digital and Bevel Studios merge to form Bulkhead Interactive". MCV. 2015-12-15. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ "Pneuma: Breath of Life developer reveals first-person puzzler The Turing Test". Eurogamer.net. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ Robertson, John (2016-06-24). "The Turing Test: A puzzle game that asks if machines can think". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ Barton, Seth (2022-06-17). "Square Enix acquires stake in Battalion 1944 developer Bulkhead Interactive". MCV. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Vincent, Brittany (2018-11-06). "Square Enix Acquires 20% Stake in 'Battalion 1944'". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Skrebels, Joe (2017-03-09). "Square Enix Collective to Publish Indie WW2 Shooter Battalion 1944". IGN. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Copeland, Wesley (2016-02-02). "Battalion 1944 Wants to Be The World War 2 Shooter". IGN. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Batchelor, James (2018-07-05). "Battalion 1944 developer Bulkhead Interactive opens new Munich studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Johnson, Robin (10 February 2020). "Video games developer expands UK operation with move to major Derby office scheme". Business Live. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Dealessandri, Marie (2022-08-10). "Bulkhead ends relationship with Square Enix". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "Battalion 1944 developer Bulkhead reaches "formal end" of Square Enix partnership". Game Developer. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "Splash Damage acquires Bulkhead to develop new Transformers shooter". Game Developer. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Batchelor, James (2022-12-09). "Splash Damage acquires Battalion 1944 dev Bulkhead". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Forbes-Calvin, Alex (2026-03-25). ""They wouldn't look at any game that was less than £50 million" Why Tencent's all-in strategy didn't suit Bulkhead". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Writer, Mark Warren Senior Staff; Warren, Mark (2026-02-05). "Arma 3's King of the Hill mod inspired the Battalion 1944 devs' new 100 player shooter, deploying in early access this year". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ James, Ford (2026-06-26). "Promising upcoming FPS is specifically 'made for dad gamers,' claims CEO". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Forbes-Calvin, Alex (2026-02-16). "Why Hiro is bullish on UK and EU game dev funding after helping The Chinese Room and Bulkhead go independent". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "Pneuma: Breath of Life now has PS4 release date". Eurogamer.net. 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ "Game review: The Turing Test on PS4 is the next best thing to Portal 3". Metro. 2017-01-30. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ Macgregor, Jody (2018-05-24). "Big changes are coming to Battalion 1944". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
- ↑ James, Ford (2026-09-17). "Wardogs Is Officially One of the Best FPS Games of the Decade". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
External links
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