Escape from Tarkov developer Battlestate recently attracted the ire of fans after announcing the launch of a USD $250 “Unheard Edition” for the game, which included an exclusive Player vs. Environment (PvE) mode. Much of the controversy stemmed from the fact that many players had forked out for the USD $150 “Edge of Darkness Edition” which promised “access to all future DLC.”
Since the announcement of the Unheard Edition, players have expressed outrage and alleged Battlestate lied to its player base, breaking promises by locking new DLC behind a very expensive paywall. Initially, Battlestate argued that PvE mode did not count as DLC. As you’d expect, this response caused a fresh wave of backlash, as players voiced dissatisfaction with this reasoning.
Then, Battlestate offered a comprise: that Edge of Darkness Edition owners would gain access to the game’s new PvE mode for six months. Again, fans voiced frustration – this time, raising concerns that Battlestate was not listening to the Escape from Tarkov fan base.
Read: Escape from Tarkov devs publicly release banned players list
The increasing backlash against Battlestate and its many decisions associated with the Edge of Darkness and Unheard Editions has now, finally forced a change: Battlestate has relented, and made permanent changes to the company’s plans for PvE mode.
In a Reddit post surfaced by PC Gamer, COO Nikita Buyanov confirmed PvE mode will now be available to all purchasers of the Edge of Darkness Edition, at no additional cost. They will be allowed into these servers “in waves” to prevent server overload.
In addition, the Edge of Darkness Edition’s “prioritised matching” will be removed to “keep everyone in the same spot.” As a compromise, Battlestate will “add more unique stuff to highlight the Edge of Darkness version in general.”
In addition to these fixes, Battlestate has confirmed it will keep plans for the USD $250 Unheard Edition intact, as it wants to “keep the option for those who want to support the game more.” That said, the pack will be rebalanced, with new perks and rewards for those who choose to purchase it.
Going forward, Battlestate will continue to work on Escape from Tarkov with new patches, new content, and new events on the way. While there’s hope it can rebuild trust with audiences, it will need to make significant changes to reassure players their input is valued, and their trust is earned.
