Escape From Tarkov teases new features and movement toward full release in a new trailer at the PC Gaming Show

Escape From Tarkov studio Battlestate Games made an appearance at the PC Gaming Show today with a new video teasing some pretty big new features coming to the long-running PvE shooter and its spin off, Escape From Tarkov Arena.

First things first, no, we still don't have a date for Escape From Tarkov's 1.0 release: Seven years after it went live in closed beta, it remains in closed beta. But there is apparently progress being made in that direction. The video teases upcoming new features including transitions between maps, a brand new map in Escape From Tarkov Arena, and synchronization of game profiles across Escape From Tarkov and the separate EFT: Arena.

More interestingly (at least to me, a guy who enjoys having some manner of narrative-based excuse for all this violence I am perpetrating), there's also a glimmer of storyline quests and cutscenes that will finally—finally—explain why you want to escape from Tarkov so badly. (Aside from all the guys shooting at you, I assume.)

There's no timeline on any of this, not even a hopeful "soon," possibly because Battlestate's attention has been occupied by the catastrophic announcement of the Escape From Tarkov Unheard Edition, a $250 package that includes exclusive access to a co-op PvE mode—despite previous promises that purchases of the earlier $150 Edge of Darkness Edition would get "free access to all subsequent DLCs." Battlestate's argument that the new mode is not DLC outraged players and resulted in a series of ill-considered half-measures to address complaints; the studio eventually relented but the hard feelings, while diminished, continue to linger.