Developer Battlestate Games has revealed a new massively multiplayer hybrid of shooter and roleplaying game, Escape from Tarkov, which seems to be a Russian version of Tom Clancy’s The Division, only set in Tarkov instead of New York City.
Like The Division, players are put in a deteriorating city where factions are running wild and players form together in groups for survival, belonging to one of two antagonistic companies. One is represented by the Russian military, and the other by a UN coalition. If that weren’t enough, players can meet their demise in ways other than getting riddled with bullets; it’s possible to succumb to things like radiation poisoning, illness and even exhaustion.
The game will also be a true MMO, in which players advance through a story through exploration and mission completion, learning the secrets of Tarkov, and why it has become a deserted battleground for hostile mercenary groups.
The game is completely procedural, so choices and actions are virtually unlimited. According to the developer, ”Raids on enemy bases, stealth operations, cooperative missions, trading, exploring, collecting resources, radio communications - in Tarkov, every player finds something for themselves.”
It’s also in the style of an MMO in that players can improve more than a hundred skills that are divided into 4 categories: physical, cognitive, combat and practical. Not all interactions with other players will end in a hail of gunfire, too. They can also barter useful resources, engage in auctions or even open their own business with their own employees.
Gamers interested in applying for the beta can register on the official site here; the beta starts in Spring 2016. The game itself is due sometime in 2016.
