Escape from Tarkov
While I am not an Escape from Tarkov player, something has happened over in that community that is too absurd to ignore.
Players are furious that developer Battlestate Games has made a $250 Unheard Edition of Tarkov, which offers offline PvE mode and some other features accused of being pay-to-win. The main point of controversy outside of the price itself is that Battlestate is trying to say that is not technically DLC, but instead a “unique feature” which would not be included in an “all DLC” Edge of Darkness pass that was already sold to players. Tarkov actually removed the Unheard Edition from a “what is a season pass” FAQ section of the website.
But it’s not just what’s happened, it’s the reaction to what’s happened. Battlestate has doubled down, fighting with the community over what constitutes a “unique feature of the new edition” versus DLC. But the community is not buying that at all, and some are fleeing for other games.
One of those games is Arena Breakout Infinite, which tried to capitalize on the situation by plugging itself as a Tarkov alternative. Stunningly, the official Battlestate account took to Twitter to mock them (and in turn, players who would try out the game) in this tweet, which is somehow still up and not deleted:
As of five hours ago, Battlestate issued a long list of things that would be added to the Edge of Darkness edition to try to please players, which includes “temporary” access to many of the features for six months which again, has not gone over well. The damage is done with the community in a lot of ways.
This seems like it’s marking a turning point for Escape from Tarkov, one that I believe Bungie’s Marathon could capitalize on with an update about the progress of that game. When it arrives, Marathon will be the highest profile PvP(vE?) extraction game on the market when previously Tarkov has been one of the biggest names in the genre, if not the biggest. But if players are tired of Battlestate’s changes and additions and attitude, they may be looking for the next closest thing. So what better time to start hyping up Marathon a bit more, which is meant to release in 2025?
Marathon
Marathon has gone through a strange time as of late, with the recent reveal that its director, Chris Barrett, left almost immediately after its public debut, and the game has been run by Joe Zigler for almost a year now, something that was never previously announced.
Bungie said that after its debut that Marathon would “go dark” for a while, but with how many issues Bungie has had as of late, it seems like it’s probably time to share some news, particularly with reports that the Zigler tenure, when previously he directed Valorant, has shifted the concept from custom characters to set heroes instead, which has drawn skepticism. Time to reassure players, while at the same time offering a place for Tarkov players to land, even if there are significant differences between the games.
Marathon is hugely important for Bungie, and I’m not sure how “dark” they can remain here. Now seems like a good time to start talking.
I’ve reached out to Battlestate and will update if I hear back.
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