Shroud explains why Tarkov is “a blessing” in the Fortnite and Apex era
Battlestate Games / Twitter: shroudMichael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek hasn’t kept it a secret he’s been enjoying Escape from Tarkov more than other modern games recently, and now he’s explained why Battlestate’s FPS is “a blessing” in a world of battle royales and franchise titles.
Mixer’s megastar first made his name in CS:GO, before leaving the pro scene behind and transitioning to streaming. Since then, he’s played everything from Fortnite and Call of Duty, to Apex Legends and Rainbow Six.
Heading into 2020, however, Grzesiek has settled on playing hours of Escape from Tarkov, which he’s dubbed “a blessing” in a gaming landscape that sees players constantly jumping from title to title searching for the “next big thing.”
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According to the streamer, who was involved in a high-stake Tarkov raid during his February 9 broadcast while talking about the game, the gritty FPS has found a new dedicated fanbase because everyone is “bored out of their minds.”
“You know what’s crazy? If we didn’t have Tarkov, we’d be so bored,” shroud said to his fans as he played through the title. “Anyone that is playing the game, or just watching, if you’re a little bit into Tarkov, it’s lowkey a blessing.”
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Escape from Tarkov is filling a gaming gap
While shroud doesn’t avoid playing other modern titles at all — he’s dedicated his last few broadcasts to EA-sponsored Apex Legends Season 4 streams, and drops into PUBG on-stream at times — he thinks they’re just “not interesting enough.”
This gap in long-lived multiplayer titles which hook players for months at a time, shroud said, has given rise to Tarkov. Its loot stash system means players want to keep coming back, and its difficulty makes it an interesting challenge. Added to that, its battle royale-similar style has made the switch easier.
Above all else though, Tarkov’s fresh take on the FPS genre, based around one-shot raids, meaningful deaths, loot that lasts beyond the matches, and all the upgrades have made the game a “blessing.”
“There really isn’t anything else out there,” he continued. “Nothing else is keeping anyone’s interest [permanently] anymore, and I think Tarkov is only doing that because there’s nothing else to fill its spot.”
For mobile readers, the related segment beings at 8:18 in the video below.
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Shroud isn’t the only streamer addicted
The Mixer star isn’t the only streamer to admit his love for Tarkov either, with Dr Disrespect admitting he’s “addicted.” According to the Doc, the scavenging dynamic, and the share of battling players and NPCs was “unique.”
“[I really like] that whole meta of the game, it’s very intriguing,” he said after first diving into EFT back in January. “That compliments the whole looting, valuing of objects, the detail of the guns and all that stuff. I really like it.”
Shroud’s recent love affair with the FPS hasn’t been all roses either. The streamer recently took aim at how unforgiving Tarkov can be, and suggested smokes or more blind fire features to help with repositioning might fix that.
Battlestate GamesModern games are still staying fresh too
While Grzesiek may not believe there’s much drawing him back to games like Apex and Call of Duty, those games have done a lot to bring back fans in recent weeks.
Respawn just dropped a monster new Season 4, bringing with it new weapons, a changed map, and a new character, while Infinity Ward is priming to release their own mega-season on February 11.
Those changes may not be enough for shroud though, considering he’s pledged himself to Tarkov. Most recently, he suggested he may start a “regular series,” so it doesn’t look like he’ll be swapping back anytime soon.
