Escape From Tarkov players outraged after pricey pay-to-win edition is announced

Fans are furious at Battlestate Games for the introduction of a new version of the blockbuster extraction shooter, Escape From Tarkov.

Yesterday, the developers announced a brand new tier of the game for fans to buy called the Unheard Edition and it’s the contents of this version that has fans mad.

Extraction games are a growing business with even Call of Duty getting in on the action.

To understand the anger, we need to look at the previous versions of the game that have been released. When Escape From Tarkov first dropped onto the scene, they sold a package called Edge of Darkness which was the top-tier version of the game.

It included lots of bonuses and perks for players and, perhaps the biggest selling point, all future DLC would be free to owners of this package.

Now, Battlestate Games has announced the Unheard Edition which is “better than Edge of Darkness” including a new offline PvE mode exclusive to this edition.

This caused fans to fume on social media for several reasons; firstly, because it’s not labelled as ‘DLC’, the developers aren’t giving it to Edge of Darkness owners, going back on the promise of future DLC being free.

Secondly, the new version has features that many consider ‘pay-to-win’ like extra storage which allows players to equip themselves better than other players who own lesser versions of the game.

Thirdly, the €250 price is ridiculous and in some countries costs up to half a month’s wages to purchase due to currency conversion.

I’ve been a fan of Escape From Tarkov for several years and I can see why so many are angry. It feels like an attempt to bleed more money from an already devoted and dedicated fanbase that has invested hundreds, if not thousands of hours into the game.

The PvE mode is something that millions of players have asked for constantly over the past few years and now it has been introduced it has been paywalled behind the most expensive version of the game ever released.

At the moment of writing, there has been no budging from Battlestate Games despite the outcry. Will we see them back down? It’s hard to say, but given that some of the biggest streamers are rallying with fans, the image of the game and company could begin to tank if something isn’t done to rectify this situation.