The developers of Escape from Tarkov, the Russian studio Battlestate Games, have published several new screenshots of the game. As Artem Lys noticed, on one of them the character shows the middle finger to the player in pixel uniform and with yellow tape on his hand, which clearly symbolizes the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Is it really a Ukrainian soldier?
“One russkian game will soon get a DLC and the developers have published several screenshots of it. I don’t think it’s worth explaining how childish and pathetic this act is, and it’s a shame that they don’t have even a shred of imagination,”
Artem Lys wrote.
The fact that this is a Ukrainian soldier is indicated by two features: the “pixel” uniform is characteristic of Ukrainian troops (which is somewhat different from the Ukrainian one, but still quite similar) and, most importantly, the yellow armband, which has become a symbol of the Armed Forces since 2014.
Who are the developers?
The events in Escape from Tarkov unfold in the universe “Russia 2028”. The place of action is the fictional Russian city of Tarkov, in the past a zone of economic cooperation between Russia and the European Union. At the time of the game, the city and its surroundings are isolated from the outside world by UN and Russian peacekeeping forces after a political crisis.
The studio Battlestate Games claims, that it is located in London, England, United Kingdom, but at the same time is headquartered in Russia. The game is completely Russian-made, with a Russian director, game designer, and even a composer. Moreover, during its creation, the developers actively consulted with the Russian military and design bureaus and went to training grounds.
Of course, after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Battlestate Games team did not comment on the events. And, as Babel reports, on the Escape from Tarkov forum, moderators are quickly removing all references to the war in Ukraine, and the same is happening on the game’s subreddit.