Saturday isn't usually a day of game releases, and yet it is the day that developer Battlestate Games has chosen to release version 1.0 of its highly popular game Escape from Tarkov. Tomorrow, the game will officially exit early access and become available for the first time on Steam, Valve's premier global PC gaming platform.
We first covered the game over nine years ago, with an interview conducted at Gamescom 2016. The game then followed an unusual development pattern: Battlestate soft-launched it with the Closed Beta, which became available on July 28, 2017, granting access to all pre-order customers and dropping the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) so that players could freely discuss the game on the Internet.
Since then, the studio slowly but surely expanded and improved the game, which gained a large following of players and became the de facto ancestor of a new shooter subgenre: the extraction shooter, where players enter a zone, scavenge it for loot, and fight against AI and player-controlled enemies in a dangerous bid to extract with those precious resources intact.
This type of game is so popular nowadays that its mechanics are even spilling into other genres, as we're seeing with extraction RPGs like Project Pantheon (now known as Gods, Death & Reapers), Mistfall Hunter, Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, and Innsmouth Mysteries, just to name a few.
Still, Escape from Tarkov remains as alluring as ever with its hardcore, realistic, and uncompromising extraction military first-person shooter experience. With mere hours left separating us from the long-awaited 1.0 release, here's our exclusive chat with Game Director Nikita Buyanov, in which we discussed the road to launch, what's in it (and what's not), the studio's opinion on the burgeoning genre, and what's next for Escape from Tarkov.
It's been over 8 years since you first released Escape from Tarkov to pre-order players. How would you describe this long journey with your community?
This wasn't just a long journey; it's been a part of our lives—mine and everyone at the studio. We grew up ourselves, and along with us, an entire generation of players grew up. It's been a very interesting, exciting, and challenging journey.
Were you aware that it would take such a long time to get the game to version 1.0, or did you expect to launch earlier?
That's a very good question. Of course, we planned to release it sooner. But creating a game, especially one with almost a decade of background, is a very complex process. We faced numerous obstacles in the form of various subsystems; some things we rewrote from scratch, other things we were the first to do, things no one had ever done before us. I think we would have released Tarkov sooner if we could predict the future and knew what we would face. We knew what we were doing, but at times we didn't know how to do it.
Escape from Tarkov is arguably the forefather of extraction shooters. How does it feel to see it gain such popularity, and what do you think about the genre's latest success, Embark's ARC Raiders?
We are aware of our significance: we managed to create not just a game, but an entire subgenre – the extraction shooter. And when we see games that find their audience, like ARC Raiders, which you mentioned, we are only happy about it. After all, the more good games, the better. Unfortunately, not everyone views us the same way and sees us as a competitor; everyone strives to proclaim themselves the "Tarkov killer" and tries to "knock Tarkov off its pedestal." We never had the goal of climbing onto that pedestal. We are simply making a game. A game that we ourselves enjoy, and which, in its uniqueness, is suited specifically for hardcore players. That's all.
Will the 1.0 release's content be as substantial as previous large updates (e.g., Reserve or Streets)?
The 1.0 release is, of course, a very large-scale update. It contains a massive amount of new content. The story alone is a huge part – players will finally get the chance to escape from Tarkov. If I'm not mistaken, preparing, developing, and integrating the release content took over 2 years. So yes – it's very large-scale.
Will there be a heat map or death cam feature in version 1.0?
No, these features will not be in the release version, but we still plan to implement them in the future.
What’s the roadmap for expansions or content updates after 1.0?
The first DLC players can expect after release is "Scav Life." Players will dive into the story of the Scavs and see them from a different perspective. They will have their own little Hideout, as well as progression opportunities. In fact, we have a very broad planning horizon – there will be new locations and major events. Tarkov hasn't been fully explored and still holds many secrets.
Where do you think the game is when it comes to anti-cheat measures? Are you looking to make further enhancements?
The release version carries many changes aimed directly at combating cheaters. We have done a tremendous amount of work in this area and sincerely hope that things will be good on this front. Nevertheless, we certainly don't plan to stop here and will continue to improve our anti-cheat mechanics. We have a very large department at the studio working exclusively on this problem.
What improvements will be made to server stability and matchmaking?
I must point out that server stability isn't 100% within our control. However, the aspects that are our responsibility, including matchmaking, have undergone many changes, and we expect significant improvement.
Will there be further improvements in Quality of Life (QoL) for usability and user interface?
Yes, this is also one of the important points that has our attention. We will continue to improve Quality of Life (QoL) and the User Interface (UI), both at release and after it.
How are the narrative/story modes progressing? Is there anything you can share about that?
The story consists of a chain of story quests. A clear storyline. It's not a narrative mode in the traditional sense. Answering your question, I can only say that players will finally have the opportunity to thoroughly understand what happened to the city and to escape from Tarkov.
Are there plans to improve AI behavior, especially for Scavs and bosses?
Of course, the Black Division alone is a significant addition. But the AI and the game as a whole have undergone a huge number of changes.
Escape from Tarkov does not currently support controllers; however, a substantial number of PC players regularly utilize this control system in other games. Are you planning to add it in the future? Also, are you thinking about console ports?
Yes, we are considering the possibility of porting the game to consoles. I think when we start working on it, we will implement full controller support. It's a very serious and interesting game design challenge – to create comfortable controls while accounting for all of Tarkov's unique mechanics.
What else does the future hold for Battlestate Games now that a decade-long project is concluding?
We have very big plans. We plan to expand and do even more – to continue developing and deepening Tarkov, and to expand the universe. You will all see it soon.
Thank you for your time.
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