Following the success of Battlestate Games' extraction shooter Escape from Tarkov, the extraction genre has become a hot topic for both indie and major developers. It offers a unique experience by combining the intense, high-stakes survival tension of battle royales with strategic choices—such as retreating to minimize losses when things go south, or temporarily cooperating with others to take down a powerful foe.

Recognizing this potential, many game companies have introduced their own takes on the extraction genre, and Escape from Duckov, released by Team Soda via Bilibili last October, is one of them. As the title suggests, the game started as a parody of Tarkov. By adding unique elements like cute ducks, a quarter-view perspective, and single-player gameplay, while actively encouraging user-created mods, it achieved over 3 million copies sold within a month of release. It continues to receive overwhelming support from users, maintaining an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating on Steam.

Duckov hasn't stopped there; it has consistently rolled out major events and updates, including collaborations with Tarkov and Wuthering Waves, as well as the 'Summer Island Challenge.' The team also participated in Bilibili World, held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai from the 10th to the 12nd, to meet the fans who have supported them. We caught up with Team Soda's producer, Jeff, at the event to hear their story.

Please introduce yourself.

" Hello. I'm Jeff, the lead producer for Escape from Duckov.

We are a small indie development team of five. Most of our members are core gamers who have enjoyed shooters for a long time, and we are currently focusing all our efforts on developing Escape from Duckov based on our diverse development experience.

Although our team is small, our most important goal is to create a game that players will remember for a long time. We will continue to develop and update the game to provide a better experience, improving its quality one step at a time.

The cute 'ducks,' as hinted by the title, are quite eye-catching. Was there a specific reason you chose this theme?

"Actually, we didn't have a grand plan from the start. While experimenting with various art styles during the early stages of development, our artist drew a duck character. The moment the team saw the draft, we unanimously agreed, "This is it." It was decided immediately without any disagreement.

Looking back, that choice was the most decisive moment in establishing the game's identity. The unique contrast created by a popular, friendly character like a 'duck' carrying firearms and exploring a dangerous battlefield provided an unexpected, charming twist. I believe this contrast played a major role in building the unique personality of 'Duckov'.

Extraction games are usually associated with multiplayer, so the shift to single-player was impressive. Was there a special reason for this choice?

"The biggest reason is that we ourselves share those tendencies. I am also a user who has played 'Escape from Tarkov' for over 1k hours, but I spent most of that time in PvE mode. The fatigue and pressure caused by the PVP system were simply too significant.

Extraction shooters are inherently high-risk. You lose all your equipment upon death, and this tension and burden are amplified in PVP. In contrast, PvE offers the fun of steadily increasing your survival rate as you learn how to deal with enemies and develop strategies.

We wanted players to feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction rather than frustration. Of course, there are many players who prefer PVP. For those who enjoy competition and tension, PVP can be more fun. However, for users like me who find excessive stress burdensome and prefer steady growth and rewards, I thought PvE was more suitable. So, we naturally chose this direction.

There was also a practical reason. Since we are a five-person team, implementing network-based multiplayer was not easy. At the time, we judged that refining the single-player experience to the highest possible quality was the most realistic and best choice.

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You've garnered attention for being very open to user-created mods. Why did you focus on this? Also, which user mod has been the most impressive?

"From the beginning of development, we set a direction to be as open as possible regarding the Steam Workshop, because we believe the vitality of a single-player game comes from its community

So, we supported the Steam Workshop at launch, and there are currently over 1k mods registered by players. Everything from UI improvements to new character models is being created.

There have been many memorable mods, but one is the 'KillFeed' mod. It shows elimination information more intuitively, which greatly increased the satisfaction of combat.

Another is the 'Flea Market' mod created by a player. It's a feature that allows players to trade items with each other. Actually, this was a feature we wanted to implement as part of a black market system during early development. However, the development difficulty was high, so we eventually put it on hold. Seeing the community implement it themselves was a deeply moving experience for us as developers.

This is why we consider mods important. As a small team, there are clear limits to implementing every idea. However, we believed that if we opened up possibilities to the community, the players' creativity would exceed our expectations, and that is exactly what is happening. Mods not only significantly extend the lifespan of the game but are also a very important element in providing an experience where players help build the game world.

The weapon customization is also impressively free. It seems like a huge task not just to implement but to maintain. What is the secret to keeping this up?

"To be honest, the weapon customization system is one of the pieces of content we've invested the most time and effort into.

Most of our team members love shooters and have a great interest in firearms. Although Duckov is a top-down game, we never wanted to compromise on the fun of shooting. We studied FPS elements like recoil systems, headshot detection, and ballistics to implement them in a way that fits Duckov's gameplay.

The biggest reason we can consistently update this system is that we are the first players of our own game.
Whenever we add new weapons or parts, the development team plays with them thoroughly first. We only introduce them to players after confirming that they provide new controls or tactical options. We don't add new equipment just to increase the volume of content. We believe every new weapon and part must have a clear role and value, and we update accordingly.

Another driving force is player feedback. Every time we release a weapon-related update, the community shares various opinions and fan-made content. Seeing those reactions makes us realize that our efforts are reaching the players, and it motivates us to create even better systems..

You also had an official collaboration with Tarkov. How did that come about? Are there any interesting behind-the-scenes stories from working with the original developer, Battlestate Games (BSG).

"This collaboration was truly meaningful for our team. I am a long-time player of Escape from Tarkov, and in a sense, Duckov might not exist without Tarkov.

Actually, even before the game was released, Nikita, the director of Tarkov, shared our trailer on social media. He also sent a congratulatory message when sales surpassed 1 million. It meant more than just a simple congratulation to us. It was a moment of confirmation that our direction—reinterpreting and simplifying the core RPG-style loop of Tarkov in our own way—was the right one.

The most impressive part of the collaboration was how smooth the communication was between the two teams. Since our team has played Tarkov for a long time, we had a high understanding of the content. So, we could naturally understand each other's intentions without much explanation while preparing for the collaboration.

To share a fun anecdote, the poster design produced by BSG was so impressive that we referenced that vibe to create a new poster within our game. I think some players might have noticed.

You recently collaborated with Wuthering Waves. Are there any other IPs you are keeping an eye on, or are there other collaborations in the works.

"The collaboration with 'Wuthering Waves' was also a very interesting project. The art assets and tone and manner of the two works were completely different—one is a casual, duck-character-focused Extraction Shooter, and the other is a stylish subculture open-world action RPG. If anything, this stark contrast gave users a fresh shock, which led to a reception that exceeded our expectations.

We are currently keeping the door open and reviewing possibilities for collaborations with various global IPs. However, we are very cautious about proceeding with collaborations. Our top priority is not just to piggyback on popularity, but whether the two IPs can create new synergy when fused and whether they can provide an unpredictable play flow to users. Simple skin-swap collaborations aimed only at buzz do not fit our development philosophy.

We are preparing several projects, but it is too early to share specific details. When the time comes to share, we will let our players know first.

The simple and cute duck design feels optimized for merchandise or emoticons. Can we look forward to merch or even KakaoTalk emoticons?

"Actually, this topic has been discussed several times within the team. We also believe the duck character is an IP with high potential for expansion into various forms like merchandise and emoticons.

Currently, fan art and secondary creations are active in the community, and official emoticons have been released. In particular, the duck emoticons made by fans are so beloved that our development team uses them in our internal messenger.

We are reviewing various possibilities for official merchandise, but as a small development team, we don't operate a separate IP business organization. Since physical merchandise requires expertise in planning, production, quality control, and distribution, we believe it is most important to work with experienced partners to present high-quality products.

We are also positively reviewing the release of KakaoTalk emoticons. Since Korea is a very important market for us, I think it would be very meaningful if we could introduce official duck emoticons. We hope to further expand communication with Korean media and players, and through this, build a good cooperative relationship with Kakao to lead to the release of official emoticons.

You released the 'Summer Island Challenge' update. What is the theme, and what are the key points to watch for?

"If I had to describe the "Summer Island Challenge" update in one word, I would say it's a "special island vacation for a change of pace."

The biggest change is the addition of a new island map. However, we didn't stop at just introducing a new area. This map has a more challenging difficulty than before, and we wanted to incorporate new changes into the gameplay itself.

The biggest feature is that you cannot save during gameplay. Every choice and challenge has become more important, and if you fail, you have to start from the beginning. Also, the enemies and items that appear on the map are randomized each time, so you can enjoy a new experience every time you play. It might feel quite challenging for some players, but I think it will provide even greater fun for those who enjoy tense gameplay and repeated challenges.

Another core piece of content is the newly added swimming system. This allows players to move to previously inaccessible areas or open up new routes, further increasing the freedom of exploration.

We have also added a variety of new weapons and equipment tailored to the summer season concept. We have prepared many items with a completely different atmosphere, so we expect players to feel a fresh sense of fun during their playthrough.

It's been 8 months since launch, and the patch version has reached 2. How do you feel? Also, with the 1st anniversary approaching, what kind of updates are you preparing.

"Before feeling a sense of achievement, I want to express my gratitude to our users first. We have received much more trust and support than we expected, and your support has been the driving force for our team to create an even better game.

Actually, internally, we didn't make a big deal out of this update being '2.' In terms of content volume, it's not a change that makes it a completely new game. However, it is a very meaningful milestone for us as it reflects the valuable feedback we've received from players over the past few months, along with the development experience and know-how we've accumulated. We put a lot of effort into incorporating changes, both big and small, across the entire game, from system improvements to new content.

We are preparing for the 1st anniversary in various ways. However, we believe it is more important to consistently present content that makes players feel "it was worth the wait" and "this is really fun" whenever an update occurs, rather than just holding a commemorative event.

You currently only support PC/Mac versions. Are there any plans to expand to other platforms like consoles or mobile?

"This is one of the questions we've received the most since launch. To be honest, we are consistently reviewing the possibilities.

Since Duckov is a top-down game, it has a structure that works well with gamepads. So, I don't think console porting itself is the biggest technical challenge. The reason we haven't pushed forward in earnest is very simple: we are a small team of five, and our most important goal right now is to further improve the quality of the PC and Mac versions. At the same time, we still have the task of continuously developing new content.

Actually, we did develop a mobile version for about 6 months early in the project. However, after reviewing our direction, we decided to focus on the PC version. Because PC and mobile are quite different in terms of gameplay, control schemes, and play patterns, satisfying both platforms with a single project was much more difficult than expected. It's not that we aren't interested in mobile, but a matter of priority regarding where to focus our development resources first.

If we had continued mobile development at the time, we might not have been able to present Duckov as it is today. However, we are not closing the door on console and mobile platforms. When the right time comes and development conditions are met, we would like to actively take on the challenge of bringing Duckov to consoles and mobile.

Lastly, a word for the Korean Duckov fans.

"Above all, I sincerely thank all the Korean players who cherish and support Escape from Duckov. Korea is a very important market for us. Even though we did almost no separate marketing, a community was naturally formed through word-of-mouth from players, which surprised us.

Seeing you share strategies, create fan art, and decorate your own unique ducks gives us great reward and happiness as developers. I believe those moments are our greatest driving force, which can never be explained by sales or numbers alone.

We are an overseas development team with a different language and culture, but through Duckov, I often feel that our hearts are connected to Korean players so naturally that no translation is needed.

We want to repay that expectation with better content and a better game in the future. Also, if the opportunity arises, I would love to create a space where we can communicate directly with Korean players in various ways. Thank you again, sincerely. Please continue to enjoy and watch over Escape from Duckov for a long time.