TLDR below, For some reason i couldn't find a thread about this, so i figured id make one. The post is largely about call of duty, but im hoping for a discussion on how this mode could effect escape from tarkov.
So another money hungry, super power of the shooter world has its eyes set on Tarkov modes. No doubt they see dollar signs with a Tarkov mode, just like battlefield did with hazard zone, which ultimately is nothing like tarkov.
The Leaks claim Modern Warfare II (name also from leaks) is being built with a tarkov mode in mind. However, unlike hazard zone, it seems call of duty is doing their homework. hashed out with its own economy, raid like gameplay, and exfils, and a flea market, the game is starting to sound exactly like a clone. I am not going to link the leaks, because im not sure if that would fall under the witch-hunt rule (just being safe, a simple google search will suffice, i believe in you)
Now a little tangent, but relevant:
Normally, i wouldn't be very worried. However, as a long term gamer, this trend of large scale companies trying to take over a genre reminds me of the Battle Royal market a few years back.
Initially in the BR market, people said that PUBG would be the best and greatest BR ever created, which was true for the time. Then Fortnite released. (trust me guys, i hate that game too, but this is worth noting). I would argue Fortnite had only one thing going for it at the time that no other BR had: Availability.
Fortnite released its BR on every console, and PC. And Radically beat out the competition, simply because every little kid and generalized gamer could play it. It was simplistic and well defined, and even 5 year olds could play it.
Meanwhile, PUBG stuck to pc, claiming console performance couldnt handle a BR. They didn't release a console build until the game was practically dead in the water. Their player market was very limited, and i would argue that was a very large part of the initial downfall. Then Call of duty did it, and apex legends, and Battlefield, and then call of duty again. Sprinkled in were tons of other BR games, Ring of Elysium, Islands of the Nyne, Radical heights, just to name a few.
Small tangent over.
Now if you read all that, (+1 to anyone who did) a lot of people wouldn't even notice that i left out Minecraft survival games. Albeit not a "shooter", it is the founding father of battle royal games. And just like minecraft was the founding father of BR, tarkov is the founder of its own mode (hence why all these leakers and reporters call the modes "tarkov-like")
I personally could see the market repeating itself. Tarkov is still in development, and I would argue that their gameplay flow is highly susceptible to being swallowed up by bigger companies with more resources. If call of duty doesnt do it, somebody else will try. If not them, someone else will try, and try and try.
Also, keep in mind that these bigger companies see dollar signs. And sometimes I believe this causes them to make erroneous decisions regarding gameplay factors. An example of this would be SBMM (skill based matchmaking) because it keeps bad players playing bad players to increase microtranaction sales.
UNLIKE other game companies, I truly believe BSG truly wants to make a good game, and Nikita has openly shown his disgust of microtransactions on stream multiple times. And SBMM is not present in tarkov, skill grants wins (and id argue thats how it should be, but we can save that argument for another post).I am also a gun nut IRL and the weapon builder in tarkov is probably the most advanced thing ive ever seen.
Tarkov is my favorite game, and will always hold a top tier game spot for me, simply because the gameplay is there. Yes bugs are an issue, as well as cheaters. but most of the time, the better, more knowledgeable player wins. ALSO I have mad respect that ive gotten over 3000 hours of enjoyment from a single EOD purchase. I would hate to see this amazing game get swallowed, and hope COD fails miserably at their attempt.
So, with all that in mind, are we worried about other companies taking over tarkovs market? Are we worried about Call of Duty at all, or all they washed at this point? I think the general consensus was that hazard zone was pretty different from tarkov from the get go, but CODs mode sounds like an exact clone. I think there is evidence there to support a possible attempt at a tarkov genre takeover. Let me know what you think below.
TLDR; leaks claim COD is making a Tarkov mode now. Seems like a direct clone unlike hazard zone. BR market set a precedent for large companies taking over game genres like this before. Are you worried about tarkov being killed off at all? I suck at making TLDRs, sorry
