Gray Zone Warfare rises from ashes of Tarkov drama, becomes #1 best-seller on Steam

A major tactical FPS competitor has risen from the ashes of the Escape from Tarkov drama.

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New early access survival shooter Gray Zone Warfare is doing incredibly well right now on Steam. The early access game is currently the #1 top-seller in terms of revenue on Steam, and is #2 globally. Even the $65 support edition upgrade is currently on the top 10 global best-sellers list. As of yesterday

So...how did this meteoric rise to success happen? The sales blitz might've been a result of a schism in one of gaming's most dedicated groups. It's likely that a significant portion of Gray Zone's players are actually taken from the Escape from Tarkov community following some massively controversial decisions.

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A bit ago, developer BattleState Games tried to upsell a $250 version of Escape from Tarkov. The so-called Unheard Edition would also be the only way to play the game's new PVE mode. This is actually the second expensive bundle that BSG offered. The first was the $150 End of Darkness edition, which was supposed to include all future DLC. Except, of course, the new PVE mode. That would only be available in the $250 Unheard Edition.

Predictably, gamers pushed back and a massive controversy broke out. BSG eventually relented and said they would also give access to all owners of the $150 End of Darkness edition. But the damage had been done, and PC gamers might be looking for a new alternative.

That's where Gray Zone Warfare comes in. According to developer Madfinger Games, Gray Zone had sold over 500,000 copies in early access on Steam as of yesterday.

Another interesting controversy is what's going on with Helldivers II. Sony has made the incredibly unpopular decision to require PS Network accounts for all PC players. So in order to keep playing, you'll need to create and sign into a PSN account. This has rubbed PC players the wrong way, and I have to wonder if there's any Helldivers II player churn happening with Gray Zone as well.