Escape From Tarkov's $250 Unheard Edition Has Fans Up in Arms Over 'Pay-to-Win' Bonuses, Exclusive P

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Escape From Tarkov's $250 Unheard Edition Has Fans Up in Arms Over 'Pay-to-Win' Bonuses, Exclusive PvE Mode | MMORPG.com

Escape From Tarkov players are none too happy with the game's new $250 Unheard Edition. Later, the company updated with access to promised PvE content -- but with a major catch.

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Batak_Killer

Disgusting. To even lock a much requested game mode behind this much money is ... no words.

Wargfoot

Batak_Killer said:

Disgusting. To even lock a much requested game mode behind this much money is ... no words.

The words you're struggling for is "to be expected these days".

What needs to happen is that fans of the game need to gather outside the developer's offices and start lobbing Molotov cocktails, over-turning cars, and breaking windows in a clear message that this is unacceptable.

What will actually happen is thousands of people will pay the $250.00.

It is the video game equivalent of an $800.00 Versace cotton bath robe, for which there is no reason whatsoever, over a $40.00 cotton bath robe at WalMart.  Unfortunately, developers have learned that epeen sells.

Asm0deus

Stuff like this exist cause wizards first rule......

....people are stupid.

Lateris

Hello Unity!

Tiller

 Life is pay-to-win, you all need to stop complaining (sarcasm)

WBadger

Not only that. The Unheard edition gives you a radio; which this radio's feature is that you can call other players from your friends list into an in progress raid and if you have a certain fence standing; will not take fire from scavs at a range of 60m. So other guy getting shot at by sniper scavs? That's not your problem. You and sniper scav are homies! He has to avoid getting domed from the building. You can maneuver or flank wherever you want, and sniper scav has got your back.

And imagine some dude gets the jump on you and you're about to get clocked and you pull out your $250 Unheard Edition radio and summon the equivalent of the CN Avengers who ESP headeyes him from a kilometer out.

Dhampir

simple solution to this..... dont spend your money..... and play something else.

Theocritus

They do it because people will pay it.....Its amazing to me that with so many games available people will still drop 250 dollars on a game, but they do.

ValdemarJ

This is the way to burn a game down and ruin a studio's reputation all in one ugly blow.

This just shows the risk involved with live service games. One day the "Do No Evil" company redefines what "evil" is and screws over their customers with little to no recourse.

It also isn't so easy just to walk away for players, even if this is what eventually happens. This is the kind of game players invest a lot of time and money in over the years. The last DLC was over $100 USD and promised to include all future DLC. This update is being labeled as an "expansion", not a DLC, despite not having any new map content. Even existing players are being asked to pony up $100 to $150 for the upgrade or risk being left unable to compete. They should probably walk away at this point, but I can see how that isn't easy.

Kyleran

ValdemarJ said:

This update is being labeled as an "expansion", not a DLC, despite not having any new map content. 

This here is a relabeling along the lines of the infamous "surprise mechanics" in reference to loot boxes EA did a few years back.

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cheyane

To remain competitive is the issue. The point being games where you are competing against others are the easiest games to exploit players because they don't want to fall behind. It's a very good model where extortion works marvelously. The player base is hooked on the game and they want to beat the other players. So make them pay for an advantage and every other player who wants to be at par has to buy the advantage. It's a no-brainer.

It's also hard to tell people to vote with their wallet because this might be the only game they are currently enjoying with their mates. If you value that friendship and time you all hang out together, might also be the only bright spark in your dull life, it's difficult to walk away from that game.

olepi

Stay away from anything Battlestate Games does. Ok, good to know.

Angrakhan

cheyane said:

To remain competitive is the issue. The point being games where you are competing against others are the easiest games to exploit players because they don't want to fall behind. It's a very good model where extortion works marvelously. The player base is hooked on the game and they want to beat the other players. So make them pay for an advantage and every other player who wants to be at par has to buy the advantage. It's a no-brainer.

It's also hard to tell people to vote with their wallet because this might be the only game they are currently enjoying with their mates. If you value that friendship and time you all hang out together, might also be the only bright spark in your dull life, it's difficult to walk away from that game.

Honestly the second paragraph sounds like a prison of your own making and a bit contrived at that. The only friends you have on the entire planet do nothing but play this game? Seems a bit far fetched. Maybe it's because none of my friends play games at all and if I want to hang out with them I have to *gasp* get up and walk away from the computer to go meet them in person for a meal or something. There's plenty of activities you can do where you can make real life friends. Martial arts, join a bike riding club, chess club, book club at the library, art classes, music classes. Plenty of things out there healthier mentally and physically than sitting on your butt in front of a screen with a bunch of "friends" you've never actually met face to face.

Sorry not buying the whole "only positive human interaction I have is in Escape from Tarkov" argument. Gotta call BS on that. Definitely not paying $250 for the game based on that suggestion.

cheyane

Actually I do think that those who pay for these are losers with no friends in real life. I guess that didn't come across well. I never play PvP games or these types of games so to be fair I've no idea but I thought a sympathetic take on which idiot would spend this money was a given.

Kyleran

olepi said:

Stay away from anything Battlestate Games does. Ok, good to know.

Well, from what I read they are a Russian game company who we are at defacto war with here in the States so I personally wouldn't support them.

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zyxxery

I mean let's be honest, the game is still going to be the single title with the most number of cheaters per player, and there are still going to be huge sales that start the day before Nikita does a ban wave.

As an EOD owner - I honestly had my money's worth, and they have to make income somehow. $250 is far too big a hike. I'd much rather pay either a monthly sub or a reasonable f**king amount. At the moment it's $100 i think to upgrade from EOD to the new version, BUT - I will not bother to support a creator who uses cheaters as a secondary income stream....

ValdemarJ

Kyleran said:

olepi said:

Stay away from anything Battlestate Games does. Ok, good to know.

Well, from what I read they are a Russian game company who we are at defacto war with here in the States so I personally wouldn't support them.

If I understand the situation correctly, they were a Russian company that relocated and incorporated in the UK. There is a rumor buzz on Reddit that they may be facing a class-action style lawsuit in the UK over the wording of the last release claiming to include all future "DLC" and "being the last DLC purchase players will need to make". Many players on the Tarkov subreddit are claiming that BS Games are retroactively editing and scrubbing previous social media marketing claims to that effect.

This situation might be one to watch if it does end up in the courts.

Kyleran

ValdemarJ said:

Kyleran said:

olepi said:

Stay away from anything Battlestate Games does. Ok, good to know.

Well, from what I read they are a Russian game company who we are at defacto war with here in the States so I personally wouldn't support them.

If I understand the situation correctly, they were a Russian company that relocated and incorporated in the UK. There is a rumor buzz on Reddit that they may be facing a class-action style lawsuit in the UK over the wording of the last release claiming to include all future "DLC" and "being the last DLC purchase players will need to make". Many players on the Tarkov subreddit are claiming that BS Games are retroactively editing and scrubbing previous social media marketing claims to that effect.

This situation might be one to watch if it does end up in the courts.

In banking it does not matter where a company is located.  It's who the ultimate beneficiaries of a financial instrument or account are and what nation they are citizens of is what determines if they get sanctioned or not.

Of course it's not always easy to track who that actually is these days.