Escape from Tarkov players have plenty to be disgruntled about right now, but it seems that they’re finding solace in a new Early Access shooter released yesterday, judging by its impressive player count.
Gray Zone Warfare launched on PC via Steam yesterday, and it’s already managed to pick up around 10,000 user reviews, as well as hitting a 24-hour player count peak of around 67,000, according to SteamDB.
Since the game bears some similarities in gameplay loop and style to Escape from Tarkov, it should come as no surprise that many of Gray Zone Warfare‘s players are ex-Tarkov vets, and judging by the reviews, that certainly seems to be the case.
One Steam reviewer, for instance, points out that “at least [Gray Zone Warfare] doesn’t cost $250″, in a jab aimed at Escape from Tarkov‘s controversial Unheard Edition.
Another reviewer pithily sums up their opinion as “Tarkov but less scummy”, and a third (albeit in a negative review) extensively compares Gray Zone Warfare to Escape from Tarkov as well.
Despite what seems to be an exodus from Tarkov to Gray Zone Warfare, players aren’t entirely happy with the latter.
Gray Zone Warfare players are complaining of problems like crashes, bugs, and a lack of content, although many positive reviews suggest that the game’s Early Access label at least partly justifies these issues.
Last week, Escape from Tarkov developer Battlestate Games announced the game’s Unheard Edition, which included access to a PvE game mode owners of other editions wouldn’t be entitled to play.
The community quickly reacted with hostility to this announcement, particularly owners of the game’s Edge of Darkness Edition, which purported to include access to all future DLC.
Despite attempting to argue that the PvE mode in question constitutes a “feature” of the Unheard Edition and not distinct DLC, Battlestate climbed down and pledged to offer the PvE mode to Edge of Darkness Edition owners once Escape from Tarkov fully launched.
Since no release date is in sight, however, this decision failed to pacify fans, and Battlestate eventually relented, promising to give EoD owners access to the PvE mode as well, albeit in waves to allow the developer to prepare for the necessary server changes.
We’ll have to wait and see whether Gray Zone Warfare can sustain this momentum; angry fans are one thing, but building a lasting community is quite another. Stay tuned for more.
