Escape from Tarkov developer Battlestate has drawn fan ire after unveiling a €250 (€300 after tax) special edition that, alongside special advantages some are calling pay-to-win, contains an exclusive co-op PvE mode that won’t be made available to those that bought a previous edition promising access to “all subsequent DLCs”.
The tactical online FPS’ new Unheard Edition is positively crammed with stuff, beginning with relatively innocuous inclusions such as a digital copy of the game and closed beta access. But it also includes unique weapons and a number of paid advantages – increased stash size, expanded PMC pockets, additional slots for the in-game flea market, and more – that have caused the new edition to be labelled “pay-to-win” by members of the community.
It’s the inclusion of an exclusive new co-op PvE mode that’s caused the most consternation, however, with the chief sticking point being that Tarkov’s previous Edge of Darkness Edition – now discontinued – promised purchasers would get “free access to all subsequent DLCs”.
Battlestate’s initially rather tone deaf response to fans was simply to quibble semantics. “It ain’t DLC,” a Tarkov community manager said on Discord (via Forbes). “DLC means additional downloadable content. PvE is a feature and a game mode…just because you all want it to become a DLC it wouldn’t mean it is one. It’s [a] featured game mode for the new edition of the game.”