You get my point, don’t you? There are times when a game instantly… explodes? But not really, since it happened unexpectedly? Just fasten your seatbelts because Escape from Tarkov has just done the most surprising thing that has got the whole world talking. Battlestate Games’ hardcore tactical shooter has reportedly sold over a million copies. Moreover, it took just one month after the game’s release to achieve this feat. Seriously, you read that right. One million. In thirty days. That’s a landmark, indeed, which is hard to believe.
If there are still some people who do not notice the world around them or have just stayed away from the extremely harsh shooter gameplay, Escape from Tarkov is such a pistol that it will be hard to miss it when it will get developed as a mahogany of first-person shooters.
The game is about surviving in the Norrvinsk region, which is an imaginary place, and raiding and extracting with your possessions or, on the contrary, losing everything to a player who is skillful than you. The game is said to have been in the beta phase for quite some time, and that’s why Philheal, a user who replied to the original tweet, remarked, “Hasn’t this game been around for four years already?” And it is indeed a good observation! It has been in the public eye for quite some time already, nonetheless, this recent success is meant for an informal launch that opened the doors for a vast new audience.
The reaction from gamers online was a total mixed bag of opinions, which in fact is the best mix. Gamers, who are already hardcore fans or at least very interested in the game, were pretty much left speechless. User ShanizamD was very plain when he wrote, ‘That is insane,’ and PromptSin was even more impressed, labeling it ‘Incredible!’ and attaching some fire emojis to his post for emphasis.
Others, like MohammedAli1508, have pointed to the ‘insane momentum’ and claimed it as a ‘confirmation that hardcore shooters are still alive.’ This is the opposite viewpoint. User FunkyxBeatz absolutely refused to acknowledge any of this, saying, ‘And even though that happened, I will still not play it ever.’ We fully understand the reasoning here. The game has a poor reputation for its extremely difficult competition. Me_Z81, another user, comically said, ‘Picture owning it just to find out you are a lousy shot ðŸ˜ðŸ”«’ which is… most likely true for many players who have just joined in.
But the thing is that while going through the tweets a good deal of people seemed to be really puzzled as to what Tarkov really is. User xKhalifan wondered, ‘Is this some Russian game or smth?’ (Don’t worry, they do come from Russia). 0xcyberw1zard was even more puzzled and asked, ‘What is it: a movie or a game?’ And PyroDesigns_ was also confused and thought, ‘Is this an FPS game or the opposite one?’ It is a very captivating scenario how a game can be so much successful in its niche but still be utterly unknown to the broader gaming community. It is not the typical Call of Duty, that’s for sure. BrunoSi71038641 said he had ‘seen some Vtubers playing it,’ which indicates that streamer culture is attracting new audiences towards these hardcore games.
There was a little curiosity about console too as BrandonWealth asked, ‘Is it available on console?’ Currently, the answer is an outright no—it is a PC-only game which only increases the significance of the sales number when considering the platform. Of course, no gaming discussion would be complete without a little skepticism. User mousetail bluntly asked, “How do we know they’re not just making it up?” which, you must agree, is a valid inquiry in the era of promotional hype. But then again, a million copies is a very specific and bold claim to just make up.
So what is the fuss all about? What’s behind Tarkov’s current hype? It’s the mixture, my friend. That merciless, brutal reality combined with the pure rush of a successful raid, that is it! Not a game for everybody—the replies confirm that—but for a small, dedicated, and increasing group of players, it’s the only game that can satisfy that craving. DeGenRivals made a great analogy, calling it ‘the Avatar (2009) of tactical FPS games’ when it comes to influence and longevity. Which is a shocking analogy, but you kind of see it, don’t you? It is a phenomenon that just won’t die.
