Escape From Tarkov developer reverses course on limited-time PvE access

Battlestate Games will now offer all Escape From Tarkov Edge of Darkness Edition owners the new PvE game mode with persistent progression for free at launch with no six-month window. The offline co-op mode was originally advertised as exclusive to the newly revealed EFT Unheard Edition, before player backlash saw Battlestate offer this new mode to EoD owners for a limited time, with all owners now getting indefinite free access at launch after a premium early access period.

A brand new statement from Battlestate Games COO Nikita Buyanov published to the Escape From Tarkov Reddit on Saturday April 27 aims to clarify the situation, while further changing who will be given access to the upcoming offline PvE mode. Players can gain early access to the new FPS game mode at a steep discount, but the full launch will be free for all.

“We observe your dissatisfaction and have decided that the functionality of the PvE mode will be available for free to all owners of the EoD version at the release of the game, when the server infrastructure will be improved to the required capacity,” Buyanov writes.

Edge of Darkness Edition buyers will also get a 70% discount on early access to the PvE mode on its own, with a 50% discount for EoD owners looking to upgrade to the Escape From Tarkov Unheard Edition. So everyone who owns the EoD Edition will get the new PvE mode for free, or you can purchase early access separately or via an Unheard Edition upgrade.

Players are criticizing Battlestate Games for pulling the EoD Edition from sale this January after it was believed to be the most premium version of EFT that offered “free access to all subsequent DLC,” but Buyanov doesn’t see the upcoming offline mode as DLC, as they explain in the Reddit statement.

“[The new] PvE game mode is not DLC. DLC in our understanding is the major additions to the game, including various functionality and content that are released after the official release of the game as a themed DLC pack (Scav Life DLC for example, which will add a lot of new mechanics and content for Scav gameplay and leveling).

“This specific functionality of the PvE mode is necessarily located entirely on a separate network infrastructure, because, essentially, you play on our servers, only in closed mode. At this stage, it is not possible to launch [for] all players who are EoD holders – right now we simply do not have the required amount of resources for this.”

After the initial backlash towards the Unheard Edition Battlestate Games provided compensation in the form of new features for EoD owners, alongside access to the new offline PvE mode for six months, but now all EoD owners will get it free forever.

Despite walking back further, many players are still criticizing Battlestate Games in the comments. One user calls the whole thing “snake behavior,” with many highlighting how they believe the mode should be classed as DLC. “You say you cannot give PvE to everyone because of the cost, but why make it so that PvE runs on your servers? Why not run it on the user’s PCs and make it truly offline?”

While all EoD players will now get the upcoming offline PvE mode for free, Battlestate choosing to offer early access at a premium while doubling down on how it doesn’t see the mode as DLC has left an incredibly sour taste in many mouths.

With the situation around EFT ongoing, we’ve got all the best battle royale games and multiplayer games for you to try out in the meantime instead.

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