Bulkhead Bans Potato Shadows on High-End Hardware
Wardogs developer Bulkhead says the potato shadows setting will be forced to reset and treated as bannable from Season 3.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in eSports
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Bulkhead has announced that using the 'potato shadows' setting in Wardogs on higher-end hardware than intended will be bannable starting in Season 3. The setting, which removes shadows to improve performance, will be forcibly reset on launch in that season.
Why it matters
The setting was introduced so players with lower-end PCs could play Wardogs, and the new rule ties its use to detected hardware specifications. Players on stronger machines who rely on it face enforcement once the change takes effect.
Wardogs was released August 10, 2026, by developer Bulkhead and published by Team17. The Season 3 rule change applies to the potato shadows setting, though the source does not give player counts or enforcement figures.
The players
Bulkhead
Bulkhead is the developer of Wardogs and the studio that published the Season 3 plan announcing the potato shadows restriction.
Team17
Team17 is the publisher of Wardogs, a British video game company known for publishing titles across multiple genres.
The details
Wardogs includes a potato shadows setting that effectively removes shadows to improve performance, but it is only available through in-game settings when hardware is detected as minimum spec. Bulkhead says the setting will be forcibly reset on launch in Season 3, and using it on hardware above that level will be considered bannable.
Timeline
August 10, 2026: Wardogs is released.
November 8, 2026: Coverage of the Season 3 ban announcement is published.
Season 3: Potato shadows reset is forced on launch and the bannable rule takes effect.
Season Trajectory
Bulkhead's Season 3 plan for Wardogs tightens how the potato shadows setting can be used, moving a performance accommodation into an enforcement rule. The change marks a shift from permissive low-spec support toward hardware-gated competitive fairness within the game's ongoing season structure.
Players on higher-end hardware who use potato shadows will need to switch to standard settings when Season 3 launches. Those on minimum-spec hardware keep the setting, which is detected automatically.
The takeaway
Players should check their graphics settings before Season 3 arrives, since the potato shadows reset will apply on launch regardless of preference. Reviewing the official Season 3 notes is the best way to confirm how the rule applies to a given machine.
What happens next
Season 3 of Wardogs begins, forcing a reset of the potato shadows setting on launch and making its use on higher-end hardware bannable.
Further reading
Find more coverage of competitive games and rule changes in our eSports section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TheGamer.
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