The in-game economy of Escape from Tarkov is being affected by the real-world downward slide of the Russian Rouble, mirroring the economic impacts affecting the currency in the real world.
Escape from Tarkov is a multiplayer first-person shooter that puts players in the shoes of private military company members fighting over the fictional Norvinsk region. Players enter the zone in a "raid" in order to find more loot and battle NPCs. Dying during a raid results in the loss of most of your equipment and loot.
The game has been in development for several years, releasing new updates (and wiping player progress) every few months; most recently, it added a new area and new guns late last year. Now, it's become apparent that the real-world effects of the ongoing Ukraine conflict are impacting the game's economy.
The Escape from Tarkov Rouble is Crashing
Mirroring real-world impacts of sanctions and actions by private companies, the Rouble is crashing in Escape from Tarkov and affecting the in-game economy in unexpected ways as reported by The Loadout.
Escape from Tarkov has several in-game currencies including the U.S. Dollar, the Euro, the Russian Rouble, and Bitcoin. These are used for transactions with NPC merchants and other players on the in-game market.
Of course, the Rouble has had problems in the real world, reaching a record low yesterday due to sanctions by other nations. The devaluation of the real-world currency has apparently had an impact on its virtual equivalent in Escape from Tarkov. Prices of items -- including the iconic Russian AK-74 -- have fallen anywhere from 10-40%. Furthermore, players are opting to sell their gear in Dollars or Euros rather than Roubles.
The gaming community has responded to the Ukraine conflict in various ways. This War of Mine developer 11 bit studios pledged a week's worth of profits from the game to the Ukrainian Red Cross. Developers of military games have also made changes, most recently with World of Tanks developer Wargaming pausing its advertisements and Battlefield 2042 disabling this week's Weekly Mission.
