Nikita Buyanov, the head of the studio at Battlestate Games, has trolled the Escape from Tarkov community with a code appropriately named ‘PAY2WIN’. On social media, the prolific developer posted an image featuring some of the most valuable items in Escape from Tarkov, announcing that a code would drop soon, suggesting that those very items would be obtainable.
When the code dropped, it was with a tongue-in-cheek reference: ‘PAY2WIN’. However, upon redeeming the code, players quickly learned that they’d been hilariously duped.
PAY2WIN Was a Joke All Along
The code that Nikita Buyanov was teasing led users to believe they’d be getting stacks of stuff in Escape from Tarkov.
This image included an FLIR optic, an Altyn helmet, stacks of Bitcoins, and a THICC case, amongst other things. However, shortly after, Nikita revealed the code, PAY2WIN, and users quickly set about redeeming it in the game’s launcher.
The bundle was ultimately unveiled as one of the worst stacks of items you’d ever hope to get in Escape from Tarkov:
This includes some of the most useless weapons, such as the TOZ and the Blicky, one of the smallest backpacks, a pack of croutons, a fuze (but no grenade), and a replica helmet. You literally couldn’t have asked for a worse bundle.
It’s not often that the Escape from Tarkov developers crack a joke like this, but they’ve admittedly given away quite a lot of stuff recently with more reward codes.
It’s often pointed out that ‘free is free’, but perhaps this bundle isn’t even worth anything!
Did you redeem the code in Escape from Tarkov? Let us know if you’re happy with your little Blicky on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that a new Resident Evil Requiem character might have been leaked
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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