Escape from Tarkov developer Battlestate Games just can’t stop shooting itself in the foot over its PvE mode debacle. As a refresher, the studio announced that access to this mode would be locked behind a new $250 Unheard Edition, while those who bought an earlier Edge of Darkness edition would be left without access despite that purchase promising access to future DLCs because Battlestate argued that PvE wasn’t DLC.
The studio initially required Edge of Darkness buyers to pay an extra $100 to upgrade to the Unheard edition, but after a huge player uproar, the PvE access limitation was gradually walked back, starting first with limited offline PvE access, then full online PvE access but only after launch, while the upgrade cost from Edge of Darkness to Unheard was discounted to $50 instead.
But what about those who elected to shell out $100 before the whole kerfuffle? Well, they’re getting some recompense, though there are some very specific caveats in play: First, buyers are not getting a $50 refund but instead are getting the option to select up to $50 worth of pre-existing DLC. Second, this is a single-use offer, meaning that any unused amount that falls below that $50 mark will disappear completely. In other words, this isn’t a refund; it’s a coupon for store credit.
As one might anticipate, this announcement has not been well received, as replies to the tweet and remarks on Reddit collectively facepalm over the decision in varying degrees of astonishment and anger, while others point out that the credit is likely useless for the deeply devoted, as DLC items that they wanted were likely already bought by now.
