The developers of Escape From Tarkov are regretting the controversial decision

This happened to the loyal players of the game Escape From Tarkov, and the experience was not very pleasant. At first, the Battlestate studio caused a little euphoria by announcing that the game would finally get a PvE (player versus environment) gameplay mode. This euphoria did not last long and turned into a nightmare for the players. A special addition The Unheard Edition is actually something unheard of (unheard = unheard of). We can count on one hand the number of times we have found a sign for a multiplier payment on the game. like 200 US dollars - and that's what they got here just for a single in-game add-on. Even when we have encountered this dizzying number somewhere in the past, it is usually a special edition with extras, such as a limited edition figure, additional pictorial materials and the like.

We fully understand that developers are under a lot of pressure. Every move, every decision they make is always under the scrutiny of the community. Decades ago, this direct connection between users and developers did not exist. Of course, it happens that criticism can be misguided or stem from unfounded dissatisfaction, but in this case the decision of the developers is really hard to defend. The game Escape From Tarkov has been in this stage of the early version (English Early Access) since the very beginning, since 2017. If you know the game Star Citizen and its concept of monetization, then you understand that developers are always looking for There are ways to find new sources of income.

Most of the time these are DLCs or add-ons. Escape From Tarkov had an unprecedented addition The Unheard Edition a much more positively received supplement Edge of Darkness. In addition to weapons and cosmetics, this add-on promises players that all future DLC will be free. For the price of 100 US dollars, many people thought this was a good buy. The game itself offers countless hours of fun and has managed to retain a very loyal group of players after all these years. But also their patience has obviously reached its upper limit.

The developers also chimed in on Discord. "This is not DLC, this is a unique new edition." They put out the fire by offering the owners of the previous DLC the possibility of playing the new addition for 6 months, which the players immediately recognized as just a payment deferral. ila. After six months of playing, you would then have to pay full price in any case.

On April 28, operations director Nikita Buyanov appeared on Reddit, who nevertheless admitted the studio's mistake and offered the owners of the supplement Edge of Darkness full access to the new add-on at no additional cost. Unfortunately, this will not happen immediately because they do not have enough server capacity. But they will let the players into the game in waves. He added another unusual answer that he "didn't foresee such a reaction from the players". Obviously, $250 doesn't seem like a lot of money to a studio.

The Battlestate studio is no stranger to controversy. In 2016, i.e. a year before the game was released, they stated that there would be no women in the game because they "can't handle that amount of stress". Otherwise, an apology followed, and the studio is still the target of criticism, among other things, because it often gets down on YouTube creators who don't say positive things about their game.

What about you? How many hours did you put into Escape From Tarkov? Will you be buying a new accessory?