The developers of Escape From Tarkov are regretting the controversial decision

This happened to the loyal players of the Escape From Tarkov game, and the feeling was not very pleasant. At first, the Battlestate studio caused a bit of 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 supplement The Unheard Edition is actually something unheard of (unheard). We can count on one hand the number of times we've found a game tagged to pay over $200 - and that's just for a single in-game add-on. Even when we've seen this dizzying figure somewhere in the past, it's usually been a special edition with extras like a limited edition figure, extra visuals, 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 the criticism can be misguided or stem from unfounded dissatisfaction, but in this case it is really difficult to defend the decision of the developers. The game Escape From Tarkov has been in this phase of the early version (eng. Early Access) since the very beginning, since 2017. If you are familiar with the game Star Citizen and its concept of monetization, then you understand that developers are always looking for ways to find new sources of income.

Most often these are DLCs or add-ons. Escape From Tarkov had an unprecedented addition The Unheard Edition a much more positively received addition Edge of Darkness. Along with the weapons and cosmetic additions, this add-on also promises players that all future DLC will be free. At US$100, it seemed like a good deal to many. The game itself offers countless hours of fun and has managed to retain a very loyal group of players after all these years. But their patience has also apparently 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 owners of the previous DLC the opportunity to play the new addition for 6 months, which players immediately recognized as nothing more than a payment delay. After six months of playing you would then have to pay full price in any case.

On April 28, operations director Nikita Buyanov also 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 the unusual answer that he "didn't foresee such a reaction from the players". Apparently, $250 doesn't seem like a lot of money to a studio.

The Battlestate studio is no stranger to controversy. In 2016, a year before the game's release, they stated that there would be no women in the game because they "cannot handle that amount of stress". Otherwise, an apology followed, but 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?