Battlestate Games plans to steer Escape From Tarkov 1.0 toward a “balanced hardcore” identity that keeps raids dangerous and extractions meaningful. In an interview with PCGamesN, COO Nikita Buyanov described the launch goal as sometimes difficult, sometimes very difficult, with the ability to escape described as “really difficult and not for everyone.”
The phrasing underlines a simple design choice. Tarkov will not be smoothed for a casual audience. The studio plans small concessions that make the game more accessible in places, but those will not replace the core loop of high risk, high reward that defines extraction shooters.
The comments follow a controversial patch cycle earlier this year that disabled the Flea Market and disrupted item pricing during a so called hardcore wipe. That event forced the team to confront which changes made Tarkov more interesting and which changes punished the player base. CPG previously covered that debate when the studio softened its stance after the hardcore wipe and adjusted several systems ahead of wider changes.
Buyanov framed 1.0 as a finished endgame product built with the team giving everything they have. He used the phrase “a harsh hardcore game that is not for everyone” when sketching the game’s future identity. That suggests designers will keep steep consequences for mistakes while polishing systems around progression, quests, and anti-cheat measures so the experience is coherent at launch.
What this means for players is straightforward. Veterans who prize tense firefights and heavy penalties will find their expectations affirmed. Newcomers should expect a steep entry cost and a learning curve that rewards patience and study more than quick playtime. The developer also framed the final release as a long-term commitment, saying Tarkov will remain recognisable for years to come.
For context on the lead-up to this stance, Battlestate ran what it called a final hardcore wipe that changed traders and economy settings. The studio later tweaked repair costs and other systems while preparing for the full release and addressed community fallout from earlier changes by dialing back some of the harsher adjustments. ConsolePCGaming covered the timing of that final wipe and the follow-up tweaks in our earlier pieces on the subject of the final hardcore wipe and in the repair cost changes.
Fans and critics will be watching how small concessions are balanced against the promise of brutal gameplay. The core question is how to keep deaths meaningful without making progression feel impossible or arbitrary. Battlestate’s current pitch is simple. Keep the danger. Smooth the edges where it helps. Let the core loop remain unforgiving.
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