Why Escape from Tarkov’s Popularity Has Spiked

Escape from Tarkov suddenly became a topic of interest for many gamers, but why exactly is that? Let’s find out.

Escape from Tarkov used to be one of those niche games that only catered to a certain demographic of gamers. A lot of casual players/gamers are turned off by it, and that’s pretty understandable. Escape from Tarkov wasn’t a game that was meant for new players to the genre in the first. The gameplay was tough as nails and had a very serious albeit militaristic vibe to it that isn’t necessarily as fast-paced as some other popular games like Warzone or Counter Strike: Global Offensive. To put it simply, Escape from Tarkov was all about patience, about carefully considering which move to make lest the players would suffer the consequences. What’s more, Bitcoin Tarkov and Lucky Scav Junkbox weren’t exactly easy to acquire. This makes for a harsh in-game environment that not a lot of people can adapt to. But all of a sudden, as if out of nowhere, EFT become one of the most popular games, even going so far as hurdling over games like PUBG, League of Legends, and Fortnite on Twitch which is arguably the biggest streaming platform. Escape from Tarkov became one of the most viewed titles almost overnight, but why is that? And what were the effects of it afterward the hype has died down a bit?

Improvements Have Been Made

Escape from Tarkov is in a pretty good spot right now. The game as it stands is the best that it’s even been so far. It helps when the developers listen and improve the game, plus the fact that the surge of popularity led to them being even more pressured ever than before to continue to polish it. New maps, guns, and attachments have been added to the game. Things like Bitcoin Tarkov and Lucky Scav Junkboxes are a part of these latest additions. While the progress is indeed slow, they more than make up for it in terms of quality. Every map design that’s been released has had an overall great design. No room looks the same as the ones before it and the location is vast. 

Battlestate Games has also been doing a great job in fixing issues and bugs that are present. While these nuances are common to be found in online games and often need maintenance, if left unchecked, players could encounter a game-breaking bug that could deter others from playing EFT. Luckily, Battlestate Games manages to constantly fix the massive desync issues plus a whole lot more. While the update on the additional maps is admittedly slow and there’s not even a hint of the “story” for the game, players who have been around since the beginning know that Escape from Tarkov has indeed grown into a fine tactical first-person shooter.

The Power of Streamers

Streamers have the power to make anything popular these days, especially if they’re considered to be well-known icons. One streamer by the name of DrDisrespect is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. Any game that he plays can be regarded as like a huge advertisement for it, and it just so happens that he was really into Escape from Tarkov. DrDisrespect, for the most part, players first-person shooters, so it’s no wonder the game immediately appealed to him. He stated that Escape from Tarkov has successfully made a formula that can’t be found in other FPS games. The mix of intensity followed by a slow burn when it comes to building slowly after every raid leads to a satisfying pace that’s missing from the other video games that are similar to it such as Call of Duty which uses all-out chaos as its primary ingredient. Soon after, other streamers have caught wind of the game and decided to try it for themselves, making Escape from Tarkov one of the most popular games on Twitch–at least, for a while.

EFT’S Weakness

The Achilles’ heel of Escape from Tarkov, despite its success, is the pace of how the development has been going. Players and fans alike have been clamoring for having a stabilized server for years. Even when EFT was one of the top games that were being noticed by many people, there was barely any attention given to improving it. The biggest update that EFT has received so far was the .12 update and which was back in late 2019. If Battlstate Games wants to ride the hype train for their game, then they’ll have to figure out a way how to capitalize on it. 

Final Thoughts

Escape from Tarkov will only get bigger and better in time. It’s only a matter of when is that time going to come. Even when it is now popular, people forget that EFT isn’t exactly a game that’s meant for everyone. It’s definitely for the hardcore players who want to be heavily punished for the wrong choices that they make, but just how big is that demographic for those types of people? The addition of Bitcoin Tarkov and Lucky Scav Junkbox indeed helped, but band-aid solutions are only temporary. Battlestate Games will have to continue pumping out great content and updates if they want to keep their community’s interest piqued. What are your thoughts about Escape from Tarkov? Let us know your perspective down below.

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