For several years now, the extraction shooter scene has been captivating an ever-growing community… but on November 15, 2025, a monument of the genre reached a historic milestone. After nearly a decade in beta, Escape From Tarkov, developed by Battlestate Games, was finally released in its version 1.0 : a new era for this game renowned for its turbulent development, difficulty and realistic approach. This launch also marks the long-awaited arrival of Tarkov on Steam, opening the game up to a wider audience.
To discuss this major transition, we had the opportunity to talk with Dmitri Ogorodnikov, Battlestate Games’ public relations manager. During the interview, he discusses the new features in version 1.0, how they manage the game’s community, and the mindset of the teams.
Enjoy this interview conducted by Valentin Jacoberger. Read our other interviews, such as our conversations with Shuhei Yoshida, Yuka Kitamura or Greg Edmonson, here.
Valentin (PSI): Hello Dmitri Ogorodnikov! What is your job at Battlestate Games, and what is your role in Escape From Tarkov?
Dmitri O.: My name is Dmitri, and I have been the public relations manager at Battlestate Games for nine years. The development of Tarkov began about ten years ago, so I have been involved since almost the beginning of the adventure.
Valentin (PSI): In your opinion, what is the biggest new feature in version 1.0 of Escape From Tarkov?
Dmitri O.: The biggest new feature is undoubtedly the arrival of the full story mode. For the first time, players will understand why they are trying to escape from Tarkov, what is really happening in the city, and where the different factions come from.
We’ve worked extensively on the lore, the narrative, the cutscenes, and the gameplay sequences that bring it all to life. Everything we’re showing here (at PGW 2025) is just a preview: players will really immerse themselves in the universe, meet key characters, and discover places they could only imagine before.
It’s no longer just an extraction game: it’s a complete, coherent story that swoops you from beginning to end.
Valentin (PSI): Can we expect better onboarding for new players? A tutorial?
Dmitri O.: Tarkov will remain Tarkov: it’s not an easy game, and we haven’t tried to simplify it artificially. However, the campaign has given us an opportunity we’ve never had before, to offer a more gradual onboarding experience, especially for new players.
As soon as you launch the game, you start in the first zone. It’s a map designed to introduce the mechanics without being an « easy zone »: it’s still challenging, but it serves as a reference point to understand where you are, what you need to do, and how to survive.
The story missions, quests… all of this serves as a guide.
For veterans, the first areas remain interesting because they introduce narrative elements they’ve never seen before.
Valentin (PSI): Will iconic NPCs (merchants, certain characters from the lore) finally be modeled in 3D in the game?
Dmitri O.: Yes, and this is one of the most significant changes in recent years.
The NPCs had already been partially integrated into the files for a long time: we were doing internal tests, prototypes… but they weren’t ready to be shown publicly. We already had Lightkeeper on the « Lighthouse » map, which we used as a test!
With 1.0, these characters are now modeled in 3D, fully animated, and capable of direct interactions: dialogues, exchanges, directions, etc.
Yes, merchants, iconic figures, and key characters from the lore are finally taking shape in the world of Tarkov. This is a huge step forward in terms of immersion.
Valentin (PSI): When did you know that Tarkov was finally « finished, » ready for version 1.0 and release on Steam?
Dmitri O.: This year, Nikita, the studio director, decided that the time was finally right. We added at least 90% of the content we considered essential for a 1.0 release to the game: the major systems, main missions, cutscenes, characters, and all the core mechanics.
Most of these elements were already integrated and relatively polished; what we had left to do was mainly optimization.
What mattered to us wasn’t simply stopping development on Tarkov, because we’ll continue after release, but above all finally presenting the complete story, from the starting point to the final escape, and offering players a coherent experience. That’s what allowed us to say, « Yes, we can release 1.0, now is the time. »
Valentin (PSI): How does progression work across the different maps?
Dmitri O.: All progression is now scripted.
You no longer jump from one map to another in isolation: you advance logically through the city, following a common thread.
When the game launches, only the first map will be accessible to everyone. Then, as you complete missions and story-related quests, you’ll unlock areas one by one until you reach the final location: the Terminal, the ultimate escape zone.
It’s not « difficult » to open the maps, but it does require you to make real progress in the missions. This is the first time that Tarkov can be « completed » while still allowing you to continue playing after finishing the story.
Valentin (PSI): How do you manage the community’s expectations, and sometimes very strong frustrations?
Dmitri O.: Our community is extremely lively and, yes, very polarized. Some players are very enthusiastic, others much more critical. But that’s normal: Tarkov is a complex game with a very invested fan base.
We don’t seek to « manage » the community in the strict sense of the word. For us, it lives and breathes on its own. What we do is stay as close as possible to the players: listen to feedback, discuss, be present on social media, talk to content creators, influencers, the press… but without ever pushing anyone or imposing anything.
Many players have ideas, sometimes very strong ones, about what should be changed or added. And from the outside, everything often seems simple, but it’s not at all. The reality is that developing a game like Tarkov requires years of experience, a deep understanding of the systems, and a global vision.
Just because you’ve played thousands of hours doesn’t mean you KNOW what’s good or bad for creating and developing the game. Anyone can give their opinion, but very few people really understand the complexity behind it: every element impacts the balance of the entire game.
We have our vision for the game, what we want to build, and at the same time, we receive a huge amount of feedback every day. Our job is to find a balance: to incorporate what is relevant, but above all to stay true to our ideas and keep moving forward.
Valentin (PSI): What was the team’s state of mind as they approached this final rush?
Dmitri O.: It was a very intense, even emotional moment. Many of us have been working on Tarkov for ten, twelve, even fourteen years. I myself have been here for nine years. We hardly have any weekends anymore, we sleep very little, our families hardly see us anymore. But we keep going because we want to show what the team is capable of.
Everyone is working hard: the artists are fine-tuning the animations, the programmers are optimizing, and I’m organizing events like the Paris Games Week. The goal is to deliver the best possible version.
We know there will probably be a few technical issues in the coming weeks, which is normal for a launch of this scale, but it will still be a very exciting moment.
For many of us, it’s almost the end of a ten-year journey.
And above all, it’s the first time that players will discover why they are trying to escape from Tarkov. That alone gives everyone the energy to move forward.
Escape From Tarkov 1.0 is finally out, and the servers struggled to accommodate so many players, but the issues were quickly resolved! You can now embark on the adventure.
