The creator of Escape from Tarkov has finally weighed in on the success of ARC Raiders. Nikita Buyanov recently shared his candid opinions on the rival game’s popularity. While many fans have embraced the shift toward more accessible gameplay, the developer seems to think that ARC Raiders caters to a very different crowd than his own hardcore community. In a recent interview, he revealed that his team is currently building a separate “combat simulator” designed to double down on punishing realism.
Extraction shooters have undergone a significant transformation over the last decade, evolving from a niche sub-genre into a mainstream gaming phenomenon. Much of this growth can be traced back to the rise of Escape from Tarkov, which has long been considered the gold standard for high-stakes survival. As the genre grew in popularity, other studios began to notice a gap in the market for players seeking the thrill of looting without the overwhelming complexity of a military simulator. This led to the launch of several major competitors in late 2025, each attempting to put its own unique spin on the core loop of entering a map, finding gear, and trying to leave alive. While the “hardcore” audience has remained loyal to the originals, a new wave of adventure extraction titles has introduced millions of console and PC gamers to the concept for the first time.
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Buyanov on the Difference Between Escape from Tarkov and ARC Raiders
The conversation around the genre shifted recently when Buyanov branded his competition as being built for a less intense player base. During a deep dive with GamesBeat, the studio head explicitly referred to the Embark Studios project, stating, “It’s an extraction shooter for casual people. It’s not an option for us. We want to have the most painful, most challenging, and most rewarding experience”. He made it clear that taking inspiration from such a user-friendly approach is “not an option” for his development team at Battlestate Games and the newly formed Rant Gaming Studios. “We’re trying to simulate reality. Tarkov is the same. We simulate reality. But in the future, it will be even richer than that. You’ll have a lot to do, and not just fighting people. You’ll need to survive dynamic events in the location. You might need to work with others to find shelter.” This philosophy is currently being poured into a new title called Fragmentary Order, which aims to simulate reality with even greater depth than before. According to his statements, the upcoming game will focus on survival through dynamic events and the need for shelter, rather than just forcing players into constant gunfights.
Despite the initial hype surrounding newer releases, recent data reported by Insider Gaming suggests that the original pioneer of the genre might have better staying power. Escape from Tarkov is currently outpacing its rivals when it comes to retaining its audience on Steam. While newer titles like Bungie’s Marathon and ARC Raiders both saw massive popularity at launch, their daily player counts have declined significantly over the past few months. Reports indicate that ARC Raiders has seen an 81.2% drop since its peak, whereas the Steam version of the veteran shooter has only dipped by about 65.3%. This difference is being attributed to a steady stream of fresh content and community events, such as the “Casus Belli” mission, which keeps the “hardcore” players coming back even when the difficulty curve is steep. Meanwhile, the more accessible titles like ARC Raiders have struggled with lackluster updates, leaving some players waiting months for new maps or significant gameplay changes.
The community reaction to these comments has been as divided as the games themselves, with many players debating whether a “casual” extraction experience even counts as a true entry in the genre. On Reddit, some fans pointed out that the more forgiving mechanics of ARC Raiders, such as the ability to extract while downed or the lack of friendly fire, are exactly why the game became so popular in the first place. While some critics on the platform labeled the headline as “outrage bait,” others agreed that the genre is splitting into two distinct camps. Some veteran players even suggested that the “hardcore” label is sometimes used to mask poor technical design, such as low frame rates, while newer fans simply want a game they can enjoy without a massive time commitment.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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When comparing the approaches of ARC Raiders and Escape from Tarkov side by side, the differences in design philosophy become even more apparent. ARC Raiders utilizes a class-based system with XP rewards that persist even if a player fails to survive a raid, which respects the time of a more general audience. In contrast, the “hardcore” alternative relies on a complex inventory grid, in which death typically means losing all equipment brought into the match. The arcade-like movement and third-person perspective of the title make it a good entry point for those who want a shooter with extraction elements rather than a strict simulation. However, the tactical tension of Tarkov’s first-person perspective and detailed ballisticsremain unmatched for those seeking high stakes. Ultimately, the genre seems large enough to support both philosophies, even as the debate over which experience is superior continues.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
