BSG Boss: Escape From Tarkov Was a 'Testing Phase', Devs Should 'Start Making Real Games Now'

When Escape from Tarkov burst onto the scene, it basically revolutionized the modern shooter landscape. Over the past decade, the intense tactical experience from Battlestate Games didn't just capture the industry's attention, but it also defined and popularized the extraction shooter genre.

For years, the community fell in love with its unforgiving mechanics and brutal gunplay, making it a staple of hardcore gaming. However, the mastermind behind this phenomenon is ready to step into a completely new territory, and his recent comments about the game’s true purpose are bound to spark some interesting conversation across the fanbase.

A Fresh Venture Into the Stars

In a recent interview with IGN, Nikita Buyanov, the head of Battlestate Games who is now also leading a brand-new studio called Rant Gaming, shared some incredibly eye-catching information regarding his creative vision.

After spending years guiding the development of Escape from Tarkov, Buyanov revealed that he views the project as a learning experience rather than a final destination. And now, under the new banner of Rant Gaming, he is currently crafting his anticipated upcoming title, Fragmentary Order, which promises to be his most ambitious project to date.

“I guess the Tarkov experience, it was like a testing phase for us for 10 years in a row, that we should start making some real games now, something that will be even more challenging to do," Nikita Buyanov shared during his interview. "So another take to make something really interesting, something new in the genre, maybe create another genre, like how I did with extraction shooters. Who knows?”

It is highly important to note that, while the announcement of a separate project might make some long-time extraction shooter fans worry, Buyanov was quick to reassure everyone by clarifying that he remains committed to the ongoing future of Escape from Tarkov. However, his excitement for this fresh creative chapter is undeniably clear.

But before anyone starts thinking that the development process is all sunshine and rainbows this time around, since they have more experience now, the studio boss explains that moving into a more established genre comes with its own terrifying hurdles. Building a revolutionary game from scratch without a blueprint is hard, but trying to outdo yourself is a different beast entirely.

“Creating Tarkov, nobody understood what it is, and we basically were in the middle of nothing," Buyanov elaborated. "We didn't understand what it is all about, how it will be. In Fragmentary Order, it is more clear, but it doesn't mean that it will be easier. Right now it's even more challenging than Tarkov, like several times.”

Like its spiritual predecessor, Fragmentary Order is shaping up to be a hardcore first-person shooter. But, before you start expecting the familiar muddy streets and military checkpoints, you might want to brace yourself because the developers are leaving the modern world behind to dive straight into science fiction territory, with an ambitious story set across the vast solar system.

To wrap things up, Buyanov also revealed during the interview that the primary objective with this new sci-fi endeavor is to push the boundaries of grounded realism to an extreme. So, instead of just focusing on basic weapon handling and traditional tactical combat, Rant Gaming wants to design a cohesive universe where advanced mechanics are tightly tied into the actual narrative lore and visual aesthetic. The goal is to create a living, breathing gaming session that forces players to genuinely believe in and inhabit the world on a global scale.

I know this probably got you just as hyped as it got me, but we will have to wait a little longer to see how this ambitious sci-fi transition turns out, as Fragmentary Order is still deep in development and doesn't have a release window just yet.