Escape From Tarkov director says "not everyone will be able" to reach the extraction shooter's best ending

Reaching the end of a game is always a special moment, but Escape From Tarkov director Nikita Buyanov says triumphing in Battlestate's genre-defining extraction shooter should be considered even more momentous. Not content with the heavy influence EFT has had on the landscape of the best FPS games, the developer will want to prove it's still the top dog amid the rise of popular challengers like Arc Raiders and Arena Breakout Infinite.

The Escape From Tarkov release date has been set for Saturday November 15, and it'll be joined by the game's long-awaited arrival on Steam, which is expected to land the same day. With less than a month to go, Buyanov has been teasing what we can expect the Escape From Tarkov endgame to look like.

"You need to prepare yourself, because not everyone will be able to escape from Tarkov," Buyanov says, before wryly adding, "and not because of poor performance." He explains that completing all the required missions and quests will be tough, and that your journey can culminate in one of four possible climaxes.

"If you reach the best ending, there are four different endings, if you complete it, it should be treated as a lifetime achievement," he continues. "I can assure you, not everyone will be able to do that, and that's the key thing."

Buyanov says Battlestate Games plans to "expand the universe more" once 1.0 is out, starting first with the long-teased Scav Life DLC. He also says you can expect "a couple of huge events right after [launch] and the new location and stuff," and remarks that the developer is in pre-production on "other games related to EFT."

"For me, the release of Tarkov is part of the bigger plan," Buyanov muses. "I don't really feel nervous or agitated about it, because I'm quite sure that we have a good team, they will endure and do everything that is needed. I trust my team, BSG, that they will do everything right."

Don't expect too much else in the weeks leading up to 1.0, however; "All hands are basically on deck testing the game, preparing it and polishing it, and there's not much time left." Once the launch is out in the wild, Buyanov promises "a lot of special things."

Want to be ready on day one? Check the latest Escape From Tarkov system requirements, along with our guide to when the next Escape From Tarkov wipe hits.

If you're a Tarkov die-hard, be sure to stop in at our community Discord server and let us know whether you're looking forward to 1.0 and what you want to see in Scav Life.