Game developer Battlestate Games is working on a multiplayer first-person shooter for Windows called Escape from Tarkov. In the game's fictional Norvinsk region, two private military firms are at war with one another (the BEAR and USEC). Players participate in games called "raids," where they battle other players and robots for loot while trying to flee and survive.
Escape from Tarkov is a name familiar to anyone with even the most basic understanding of first-person shooter video games. The infamous game was first made available by Battlestate Games in the middle of 2016 and rapidly gained popularity.
Tarkov is one of the most challenging games out there, and playing it feels like getting repeatedly punched in the shins. However, many people still love it.
· In 2020, there were 200,000 active players playing Escape from Tarkov.
· In 2021, there were more than 475,000 active Twitch watchers.
· It has been available for six years but is still in beta.
· Battlestate Games, the game's developer, has approximately 500,000 Twitch followers.
· Over 50 servers are available for Escape from Tarkov.
· In 2020, it generated revenues of $50 million.
The most important thing you should know about EFT is its harshness.
However, even while the harsh gaming mechanics is a source of controversy in and of themselves, the game has also been plagued by other issues.
So what accounts for the initial rise in popularity of Escape from Tarkov?
That's accurate; Battlestate Games started developing the game back in 2012. The studio first made an alpha version available in 2016 before making a closed beta version available in 2017. Since then, it has continued to update this version.
However, there is still no word on when a complete release might occur. Fortunately, Escape from Tarkov's popularity hasn't decreased, so fans don't need to be concerned about the developers leaving it overnight.
Many people were interested in the game right away, but late in 2019, Twitch viewership for the game exploded. That was made possible by delivering a sizable new update and some significant marketing initiatives. Additionally, developers launched a Twitch Drops campaign that allowed gamers to earn in-game goodies for watching the stream.
A Battlestate Games developer interrupted all this by pulling a real gun from his pocket, aiming it at his head, and pulling the trigger to simulate suicide. Yes, it was caught on video during a live stream, and it didn't happen in-game! So it makes sense why Twitch shut off the channel.
Fortunately, top Tarkov streamers continue to average 20k viewers every stream, ensuring that the game is still well-liked on the platform.
Despite the real-gun fiasco, the studio's channel was finally reinstated on Twitch and has since gained 493,000 subscribers. Since then, none of the developers have continued to stage suicide; Battlestate Games has instead continued to perform similar Twitch Drops campaigns routinely.
The players hope they will devise fewer heinous practical jokes in the future.
Tarkov's server population varies significantly per region. For example, while other areas, such as North America and Europe, have dozens of servers crowded with players, South Africa and America only have one server for the whole continent. On the other hand, Russia, which is still counted as a separate region, has at least eight sites.
The great news is that more servers are now available as EFT's user base has grown. Battlestate Games has constantly made investments in expanding them over the globe.
Games are supposed to be enjoyable and relaxing. Well, that is not always the case.
As an illustration, the dictionary definition of "masochist" is "a Tarkov player."
Naturally, it's certainly conceivable that some players are simply horrible. However, given the continued popularity of Escape from Tarkov, it is more likely that they do so because they like a true challenge and the satisfaction of succeeding.
No awards for participation here.
On 28 May 2020, Patch 0.12.6 was released, setting a new milestone. Significant updates were made, including adding binaural audio and new trading regulations that make it simpler to understand what's happening around you just from auditory cues.
In a Reddit thread, chief developer Nikita Buyanov shared the good news, noting that Escape from Tarkov surpassed 200k concurrent players. Additionally, he requested comments and suggestions from Redditors on the upgrade.
Every year around the holidays, Battlestate Games hosts a Twitch Drops event. Although it draws tens of thousands of spectators yearly, the biggest year yet was this past one.
Between December 24, 2021, and January 9, 2022, the EFT player base logged 82,492,676 hours on Twitch!
There are millions of users of EFT.
Over 1.6 million unique people came to the authorized Battlestate Games channel alone during the New Year's event. Additionally, 475,546 viewers watched at the same time on December 28. Games rarely achieve such quantities.
A "fun" fact about the event is that 57,365,985 player characters got killed.
The most recent event and its popularity on Twitch have been mentioned, yet it was also substantial in the game. An increase was anticipated with the 0.12.12 patch, which for the first time in a long time, added a new map and "wiped" all player progress.
When the upgrade went online in December, Tarkov's player count still broke the ceiling, with 86,000 people finding themselves in line to enter the game on European servers alone. The NA region comes in second with a comparable population, despite others being smaller.
The overall number of EFT active players throughout the holiday season was probably in the dozens of thousands, considering the many tens of thousands more who were already in the game and attempting to survive the relentless raids.
Due to Battlestate Games' private ownership and limited public disclosure, data on Escape from Tarkov's sales are hard to find. Nevertheless, research and analytics firms have gathered a sizable amount of financial data and published studies.
The most recent one claims that the game sold close to $50 million worth of copies in 2020, while in reality, this only equated to about $320,000 in net income.
Although the "Annual Report and Financial Statements" document is private and the company is registered in the UK, it is accessible on a governmental website. It turns out that Ludmila Lipskaya, a woman, is the only employee that Battlestate Games has.
Nikita Buyanov, the alleged COO of the corporation, is only identified as a "connected person regarded to have substantial control over the entity" who has "provided services" worth about $10 million. Buyanov frequently engages with the EFT players base on social media.
You must have been wondering if EFT is even an esport. Depending on what an esport means to you, the answer may vary.
It does not compare to Dota 2 or CS: GO, which have given out prizes totaling thousands of dollars. However, there is a competitive scene, even if the community mainly controls it. Popular streamers have consistently put on events; the most recent, "Evasion Trios," was held in October 2021 and included an $18,000 prize pool.
Hope this has dispelled any concerns you may have had concerning Tarkov's player roster.
Many players compare Escape from Tarkov to how Dark Souls meets first-person shooter games. Some believe it to be worse because you can opt to disconnect at least in the Dark Souls. However, there is no getting away from the bloodlust of your gaming friends in Tarkov.
This is why EFT's gameplay is so intense that it is set apart from the countless other available shooters. It is also the reason the game has developed a sizable cult following.
This concludes EFT player count and revenue stats.
