Was Tarkov’s Full Release Rushed?

(Intro)

Tarkov has existed for a long time. Over eight years' worth of work, adding content to the game with a final dash towards the end to make it what BSG has called, feature complete. And while most of us are glad we got to see the game get to the end, it also had me thinking about the circumstances that led to this point. We know BSG wanted to add more; be ambitious and really try to put Tarkov in a place where it can feel like a forever game. But even after all this time, does Tarkov feel like a rushed game, at least the launch of 1.0? I know it’s a crazy question to even ask considering how long it’s been. But think about it for a moment; at the very least the final stretch felt like it was coming together rather quickly. Obviously, they can’t keep working on the game forever; they don’t have infinite money and even if they did, they most likely want to work on something different. But plans must’ve changed internally multiple times over even just the last year for it to have played out the way it ultimately did. What drove them to release 1.0 when they did? How has it panned out in general? And can we technically call the release of it, rushed?

(General timeline of development)

Firstly, let’s address the elephant in the room: yes, Tarkov was in pre 1.0 development for over a decade. They released their initial CG teaser trailer all the way back in 2015. Crazy how time has flown so quickly. But that was ten years ago; this game is the antithesis of rushed development. Tons of figuring out entire gameplay systems, locations, quests, vendors, economies. Tarkov didn’t really feel like it was figuring itself out until the release of Reserve with patch 0.12. And there’s a reason anytime I bring up important moments in the games life, it’s usually this one. Reserve and 0.12 was the first time it felt like Tarkov was actually heading in a direction that felt coherent. BSG had a game-plan and were just making what they had to in order to execute it. This is also when the popularity of the game blew up. Something I still think to this day, BSG was not ready for nor would they ever have been. It got too big too quickly. Any chance of the game being this niche little hardcore experience people talked about like the boogeyman was long gone. Now, Tarkov had become a household name that most people were aware of even if they didn’t play it themselves. But this was also the moment I think the pressure of delivering on a product that keeps people around and really is the epitome of hardcore kind of got to them. All over their marketing now, they say Tarkov pioneered the genre. And while that is mostly true, some would say all the waiting for the release kind of fell… flat. And it’s easy to understand why.

(Feature creep [or lack thereof])

Feature creep is a concept in game development where the scope of a project balloons out of control and the core concepts and identity of that project are lost because so much has been added. And in the case of Battle State Games and Tarkov, it wasn’t entirely that the identity was lost, but it had… shifted. Years upon years of ambitious ideas of open world, seamless level transitions, and so many features that just sadly never made the cut. And instead, concessions to the gameplay loop that went against the core philosophies of Tarkov were added instead. Now, while a lot of those can be either overlooked or even forgiven due to the sheer scale of Tarkov and what it had become, nothing hurts more than seeing really interesting or anticipated additions be scrapped for one reason or another, The biggest thing I wanted in this game more than anything, was open world. Which I know was literally never going to happen; I know this. But when I close my eyes and imagine what that might look like, I start salivating at the idea. Map to map travel with non-hostile zones in between so you can navigate to each location safely. Imagine the absolute benders people could go on; hours upon hours running around, completing quests, keeping yourself topped up on both food and supplies and just surviving through Tarkov. That to me is an experience I would’ve given almost anything to participate in. But sadly, that dream will never happen. And it’s not because BSG didn’t care or even didn’t attempt to make it happen. I just think it was too ambitious for their team at the time. Again, if they were to take all the knowledge and experience, they’ve accumulated now and remake Tarkov, it would be a vastly different game I think and for the better. But a decade's worth of working on the same project, most likely has taken its toll on the team.

(Developer Burnout)

Burnout is real. In any creative space or normal one, if you do the exact same thing for years or even decades, eventually you are going to run out of steam and start to despise the thing you originally created out of passion and curiosity. Anybody in any business, space or mindset can go through burnout. And it’s something Nikita has touched on from time to time. Especially during the early 2020s; it was tough because we all had to adjust to this new lifestyle of work from home and not being in office and seeing people face to face. While there is a ton of creature comforts in being able to work from your own space, there is something about being able to see someone, walk to their section of the office and bounce ideas off them that were lost during that time. And while we are back to people being together, it certainly didn’t help the process as a whole. It’s one of the things I truly do sympathize with Nikita and the whole BSG team. One game for over a decade; imagine how badly they wanted to quit sometimes? Their decisions are their own, and what happens after they implement them is something BSG needs to hold which they sometimes struggle with. But they’re not bad people; just a group of guys who at the time of starting the company only had so much experience with making games. Now, they are more experienced, have more notches in their belt, and are most likely ready to be done with Tarkov, forever and move onto something wholly original. But they are committed to finishing this game even after launching and adding things they would’ve wanted years ago but couldn’t due to lack of experience which is commendable. But I can only imagine how tired they must be of working on the same project for so long, that the call to at least get 1.0 out must’ve been a tough one. It could’ve been more grandiose; it could’ve had so much more content on top of what we already got and maybe had landed with a bigger splash. But you can’t turn back the clock now. It's out and people are going to say what they feel about it. New players will most likely be impressed by all that is included, while veterans were probably hoping for more.

(Was it rushed?)

Was the release of Tarkov rushed? Ultimately, that is your call to make. The answer is going to differ depending on who you ask. Strictly speaking from a timeline perspective, most people would look at what’s happened and say it wasn't. How can you rush a 1.0 when you’ve been working on it for over a decade? Sure, it might not have every single feature, mechanic, weapon or piece of equipment they would’ve liked in the game, but at its core, what defined the 1.0 launch in the eyes of BSG was the main story. That was critical for Tarkov to even feel like there was a reason to keep playing. If the main story was not added, people definitely would’ve had more to say, and it wouldn’t have been nice. But at the very least, players can objectively look at the product in front of them and say Tarkov has a beginning, middle and end. Even if it isn’t super flushed out, even if it’s incredibly difficult to get to, it’s there. People will experience it and finish the game properly. After that it’s up to them to decide what’s next. While the scope and identity of Tarkov has changed a lot over the years, what makes it Tarkov, those hardcore elements are still there even after all these years. And for many, that’s all they ever wanted in the first place.

(Outro)

The answer to this question of whether Tarkov’s full release was rushed or not is a rather complicated one to answer. On one hand, the game didn’t have a hugely ceremonious launch, and it kind of just felt like another wipe for those who have time invested in the game. If you are new and bought the game on Steam for the first time, you were probably impressed by the package presented in front of you. And on the other hand, EFT has been in development for so long it’s difficult to even say it was rushed at all. You don’t work on something for a decade, make some tough executive calls to actually be able to launch your product, and then say it was rushed, even if it was at the cost of numerous things you would’ve liked to have added before. The release of Tarkov can be argued either way, but to me it wasn’t the pacing of it, but how it was presented. There wasn’t a ton of fanfare or celebration that it was out because the release was sadly plagued with more of the same issues; we see every wipe cycle. If it was clean and people could’ve just jumped in and started playing, then to me it would’ve been that moment of, oh we finally made it lets dive into it. But sadly, it was more waiting for the servers to settle down, hoping we don’t crash or get an error that resets progress. Either way, Tarkov is out now whether we like it or not, and the next step is to hopefully see more substantial additional content come in the form of DLCs and expansions. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts on whether Tarkov’s release was rushed, what you would’ve like to have seen added before 1.0 and be sure to subscribe for more complicated and nuanced conversations that can be argued in pretty much any direction. I hope to see you in future ones.