“Developers are afraid of innovation. Most follow well-worn paths and copy what’s already successful.” Escape from Tarkov dev says there is nothing to learn from competitors
Escape from Tarkov sets the trends, others follow. Battlestate Games head Nikita Buyanov talks about the game that created the extraction shooter genre.
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Escape from Tarkov has spent the last decade growing from a small indie experiment into a global hit, even spawning the whole extraction shooter genre. Its mix of brutal realism and hardcore gameplay pulled in a dedicated fanbase, and after nearly eight years in closed beta, the game is finally gearing up for its full 1.0 release in 2025. That launch will also bring both Tarkov Arena and the main game to Steam. In a recent interview with Igromania, Battlestate Games head Nikita Buyanov reflected on Tarkov’s rise and stressed that the biggest lessons don’t come from competitors, they come straight from the players.
Tarkov’s lessons: The players are the real teachers
In a chat with Valentin Karlov, Nikita Buyanov didn’t mince words when asked if Battlestate had learned anything from competitors. He flat-out said that they were the ones who created the extraction shooter genre. According to him, there wasn’t really anything to learn from others. A few projects managed to carve out their own stories and solid gameplay, but that’s about as far as it goes.
The only people we learn from are our players, from their real experiences. A lot of QoL improvements come to us through the Tarkov Community or in-game surveys.
Right now, developers are afraid of innovation. Most follow well-worn paths and copy what’s already successful: what worked, what makes money.
We don’t look at other games, that’s the secret. Others look at us, which is why we set the trends.
The next question was whether competition ever pushed them to change course, or if it just reinforced their own direction. Buyanov’s answer was very direct: it definitely boosted their confidence, and he didn’t see much to debate there. As he put it, “There have already been so many imitators, and where are they now?” In his view, only a handful are even worth mentioning.
Source: Escape from Tarkov; Developer: Battlestate Games
All that’s left now is to wait for the big full launch this year and get ready for the final wipe before the 1.0 version drops. This last reset is meant to level the playing field, especially in the new PvE mode, so everyone starts on even ground. The exact release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but previous info points to September 2025, which means we should be just a few weeks away.
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Author: Olga Racinowska
Been with gamepressure.com since 2019, mostly writing game guides but you can also find me geeking out about LEGO (huge collection, btw). Love RPGs and classic RTSs, also adore quirky indie games. Even with a ton of games, sometimes I just gotta fire up Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, KOTOR, or Baldur's Gate 2 (Shadows of Amn, the OG, not that Throne of Bhaal stuff). When I'm not gaming, I'm probably painting miniatures or admiring my collection of retro consoles.
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