Escape From Tarkov Developer Says Women "Can't Handle" War

With so many games releasing every day, it can be surprising to see what titles manage to find a large audience. Take, for example, Escape From Tarkov. The PC shooter recently found a massive audience thanks to Twitch, but the increased focus has resulted in some increased scrutiny, as well. The title's open beta released in 2015, and since then, developer Battlestate Games has participated in a number of interviews. In a 2016 interview with WCC Tech, Pavel Dyatlov of Battlestate Games was asked why the game only allows for male playable characters, to which the developer had a rather surprising answer.

"...we discussed it for a very long time, but we came to the conclusion that women can't handle that amount of stress. There's only place for hardened men in this place."

Dyatlov's comments have not sat well with gamers, who took Battlestate Games to task for the comments on Twitter.

hey @bstategames you mind elaborating on how women don't deserve to be in Escape from Tarkov?

there's only space for "hardened men" in your game and i guess there's only space for their money in your wallets. ✌️

enjoy your vain little beard growth mechanics, that's cute. pic.twitter.com/DKRVJm68hk

— ｋａｔｅ ｆａｄｅ (@fadylace) January 6, 2020

nobody:

the men making Escape from Tarkov: wOmEn CaNt HaNdLe StReSs Of ThE WAR ™ pic.twitter.com/yTpL50Demz

— futuretumble 🔜 streams return 1/8/20 (@tumbledorez) January 6, 2020

Battlestate Games has issued a statement about the interview, though it should be noted that it's a bit contradictory. The developer says that the interview response was "probably misinterpreted," yet the employee was "not a key BSG employee," but the employee was "reprimanded and properly instructed." For good measure, Battlestate Games also saw fit to point out that the interview was conducted three years ago. In summation, their position seems to be "it probably didn't happen, but the employee was reprimanded, and if it did happen, it was a long time ago, and this person isn't a big deal, anyway." That's an awful lot of positions to take!

The employee was reprimanded and properly instructed. We are sorry for caused confusion #EscapefromTarkov

— Battlestate Games (@bstategames) January 6, 2020

Despite the apologies, Battlestate Games added that they still have no intention on adding playable women characters. The developer claims that it would take too much development time to create all-new models for the game.

What are your thoughts on the comments made by Battlestate Games? Have you played Escape From Tarkov? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!