Tarkov Tease: New Map Speculation After Nikita's Tweet

Nikita from Battlestate Games recently shared a teaser on Twitter, and though details are scarce, we can still make some educated guesses. I've watched NoiceGuy's video about it, so let’s break down what was discussed.

Yesterday, popular Tarkov content creator NoiceGuy shared his thoughts on a teaser posted by Nikita, the head of Battlestate Games. Although it was just a picture with no accompanying comment or details, NoiceGuy dove into the details and offered his own insights on what this new content could be.

Early Development: Still in the Gray-Box Stage

The image shared by Nikita shows the new location is still in the gray-box stage. This stage of development involves laying out the core structure and major features of a location before adding intricate details (such as textures).

NoiceGuy thinks that while some aspects of the teaser, such as lighting and foliage, might appear polished, the presence of large, gray-boxed structures clearly indicates that it’s still an early version. In other words, he thinks we shouldn't expect this location to hit EFT anytime soon.

Hints from the Environment: Coastal Naval Fortress?

NoiceGuy speculated that the teaser’s flat horizon could be a clue that this location is coastal. Based on the architectural style seen in the image, which resembles a fortress, he thinks it may be inspired by historical Russian coastal fortresses. He specifically points to the St. Petersburg area, which is the real-world inspiration for Tarkov’s fictional Norvinsk region. The visible structure and distinctive arched windows closely match naval fortresses in that area.

What Could This Map Be?

Battlestate Games has already confirmed that Terminal will be the next major map addition to Tarkov, but NoiceGuy is doubtful that this teaser is related to Terminal. By now, Terminal should be in the final stages of development, not in the gray-box phase.

With that in mind, NoiceGuy suggests the teaser could be tied to Arena mode, which is currently under active development. Arena maps are typically smaller and faster-paced, and the compact, fortress-like structure shown in the teaser would be a fitting environment for such a mode.

My Thoughts and what the community thinks:

While NoiceGuy’s assumptions may be correct, there’s also the possibility that the gray-box structures were intentionally shown this way to obscure the location and make it harder to identify, rather than reflecting its actual development stage.

Also, we don’t know much about Terminal, so it’s possible that this teaser is connected to that map. In fact, since the location in the pic shared by Nikita seems to be near the sea, this further strengthens the theory that it could be the Terminal map, as its setting is in a shipping terminal, where a naval fortress could be very well integrated.

Personally, I find it unlikely that Nikita would be teasing a new Arena map at this point. It seems more likely that this is related to a future EFT location, or perhaps something tied to the game’s progress toward its final release. [I was wrong LOL, see update below]

There’s also a strong sentiment (and hope) in the community that this could be an expansion or rework of the Lighthouse map, which many players have criticized for being poorly designed. Issues with PMC spawn locations being concentrated in the southern part of the map, while key areas like the Water Treatment Plant are located in the north, have made Lighthouse a frustrating experience for many.

Whatever this teaser ultimately turns out to be, we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, let’s keep the discussion going and speculate on what’s to come.

Don't forget to check NoiceGuy's full video!

20/09 UPDATE: After the release of the new roadmap for late 2024 and additional information, it now seems more likely that the teaser is for a new Arena map. In my original reasoning, I hadn’t considered the approaching TwitchCon and the fact that BSG has been heavily promoting Arena, including an upcoming free wekend this weekend.

23/09 UPDATE: TwitchCon has passed, and we now have confirmation that the teaser was for a new Arena map called Fort. It looks fantastic and seems to have great potential. I’m can't wait to play on it, but I’m holding off until the bug affecting Escape from Tarkov traders’ reputations is resolved (see related article below).