Escape From Tarkov Lead Game Designer leaves Battlestate Games after nine years

One of Escape From Tarkov's top devs has left Battlestate Games. Lead Game Designer Jean Tyulegenov revealed on Twitter that, after nearly a decade, his time at the studio had "come to an end." Though it's currently unclear what Tyulegenov's next venture will be, I'm assuming it must be something pretty exciting for him to up sticks from the FPS game and move on.

Tyulegenov's farewell message, posted to X, thanks Battlestate head Nikita Buyanov "for the exciting challenges and for the incredible project we built together." Having joined Battlestate in 2017 as a Game Designer, it only took Tyulegenov six months to move up into the top role. As such, he's been instrumental to the Escape From Tarkov we know today, and his footprint is tangible.

"I still remember the first quests," Tyulegenov recounts, "the first boss - Reshala, Hideout, the massive Flea Market formulas, every path, and every sleepless night as if it all happened yesterday. It was a difficult journey, but it was absolutely worth it." Indeed, Tyulegenov's been there pretty much from the beginning of Tarkov's closed beta, helping to guide the extraction shooter all the way through to its full 1.0 release last year.

The response from players has been overwhelmingly positive, with many stopping in to give their thanks to Tyulegenov for the shift he's put in. Among the comments is former Battlestate PR head Dmitri Ogorodnikov, who recently left the studio alongside PR Manager German Terekhov to head up new studio Nomion Games, which is currently developing a new shooter called Rush is Real. I recently quizzed the pair on everything from their stance on AI to how they plan to tackle the market, and their responses are well worth a read.

"Ty brother!" Ogorodnikov writes. "It was an honor to work with you! Tarkov gained so much from you, and now it's losing a lot without you. The best is yet to come!" I wouldn't be surprised if Tyulegenov links back up with his old mates, though it remains to be seen if he has something in the pipeline.

Signing off, Tyulegenov thanks the "millions of players" who've looted their way through Norvinsk. "Now it's time to move forward," as he says, and I'm intrigued to see where he takes his talents next.