Nikita Buyanov, CEO of Battlestate Games and Escape from Tarkov’s game director, stated that his company has set out to increase its player base by taking a middle-ground approach. When questioned why the studio chose to stray from the conventional extraction shooter format, Buyanov says, “The concept is quite straightforward, we aim to attract as many players as possible.”
Although he emphasizes the need to grow its player base, Buyanov agrees that Escape from Tarkov is an exciting game. The Arena is a PvPvE spin-off game set in the Tarkov universe, but it doesn’t seem like the developers were going for the same degree of minute detail. Buyanov explains that, “We chose to create a game that falls within the mediocre middle-ground, a mid-core experience that generates interest and introduces more players to Escape from Tarkov.”
Buyanov describes the goal on a larger scale, saying, “We’re striving for something a bit more straightforward in terms of match complexity while retaining depth in gameplay features and mechanics.” He asserts, summarising the studio’s core values, “We develop games for ourselves, just as we did with EFT and now with Arena.” The primary objective of what we are doing is to make something enjoyable for us.
Unquestionably a considerable hit, Tarkov is recognized for having spurred the development of theextraction shooter subgenre. On the other hand, Arena adopts a distinctive strategy to offer the same depth as Tarkov while incorporating the simplified matching generally found in more casual shooters. Whether this strategy will connect with the current player base or even successfully introduce new players to this notoriously tricky shooter is still being determined. Everything will become clear once Arena debuts in 2024.
CEO
Shahbaz Ahmed serves as the CEO of Gammahed. He studied from Aptech and earned certification of ACCP. As an Aptech Certified Computer Professional, he's armed with a solid foundation in the intricacies of technology. With an impressive gaming journey spanning over 18 years, his passion has led him to become a writer, dedicated to guiding fellow gamers through the realm of gaming hardware. Having personally encountered and conquered numerous gaming-related problems during his early years of gaming, Shahbaz Ahmed now shares his invaluable expertise to help others navigate similar challenges.
