‘Dead’ Tarkov Competitor Suddenly Breaks Two-Year Silence with New Plans
Marauders, a space-themed extraction shooter that launched in early access in October 2022, is returning to development after nearly two years of silence from its developer, Small Impact Games. The game, which was designed as a competitor to Escape from Tarkov with a dieselpunk spaceship aesthetic, had dwindled to just 60 concurrent players on Steam before its recent announcement of a comeback.
Following its initial release, Marauders failed to gain significant traction in the extraction shooter market, with Small Impact Games resorting to posting repetitive social media content while remaining quiet about the game’s future development. The extended silence led many to believe the project was effectively dead in the water.
However, the developer has now broken its radio silence with promises of substantial changes and an overhaul to the game. While specific details about the planned improvements remain limited in these opening announcements, Small Impact Games has signaled its commitment to breathing new life into the project. The revival attempt comes as the extraction shooter genre continues to be dominated by Escape from Tarkov, despite early enthusiasm around Marauders’ unique “impeccable vibes” and sci-fi setting when it first launched.
The return of Marauders suggests Small Impact Games is willing to invest additional resources into the title, though it remains to be seen whether the overhaul will be sufficient to rebuild player interest in the currently dormant early access game.