Nikita Buyanov spent more than a decade perfecting extraction shooters with Escape from Tarkov, a game that reshaped how the industry thinks about survival mechanics and player stakes. Now the Battlestate Games founder is chasing something bigger: a science fiction universe that he says will push the hardcore genre further than anyone has gone.
The project is called Fragmentary Order, and it represents Buyanov's attempt to build what he describes as realistic sci-fi without the fantasy window dressing. He established a separate studio, Rant Gaming, with 130 people already on staff to develop the game independently from Tarkov, which he insists will continue receiving full support and updates.
"I've been doing Tarkov for more than 10 years," Buyanov said in an interview. "I really wanted to start a new thing because I was tired of making the same thing. I always wanted to make something in the sci-fi genre, not just fancy Tarkov in space, but proper sci-fi."
Buyanov has spent two years in production on Fragmentary Order and says the team has built basic mechanics, designed the first location, and created multiplayer builds. The game will launch with an alpha later this year, though players can already explore aspects of the universe through a browser-based experience called COR3, where earned resources will carry over at release.
The core philosophy mirrors Tarkov's punishing design ethos, but Buyanov plans to break the familiar extraction shooter pattern that he himself created. Instead of the standard infiltrate-loot-extract cycle, Fragmentary Order will offer multiple survival options, all designed around a grounded, believable future setting.
"The main goal is to add realism to everything," Buyanov explained. "We want to create the whole concept, the whole world, the whole gaming session. Everything will be made super grounded just for players to believe in."
The difficulty will escalate beyond Tarkov. Buyanov described Fragmentary Order as "more complex, more punishing, more painful, but the rewards will be bigger." He acknowledged the game is explicitly not designed for casual audiences and said he views it as a departure from traditional gaming philosophy altogether.
Development is progressing faster than Tarkov's creation, with Buyanov hiring experienced talent like art directors Ben Mauro and Aaron Beck to establish a grounded sci-fi aesthetic. A gameplay trailer is in production and will showcase features Buyanov claims haven't appeared in other games. A second location is already under development.
The dual-studio approach allows Buyanov to protect Tarkov's long-term future while pursuing this new direction. He rejected the framing that Fragmentary Order exists to replace or kill the original extraction shooter, which has attracted tens of millions of players globally.
"I'm not trying to kill Tarkov," he said. "I just want to make something new and wonderful and groundbreaking again, or at least I will die trying."
Author Emily Chen: "Buyanov's willingness to walk away from a decade-long cash cow to chase a harder problem suggests he's serious about this, but execution will determine whether Fragmentary Order becomes a landmark or a cautionary tale about ambition outpacing delivery."
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