- Fragmentary Order creator: Nikita Buyanov, previously associated with Escape from Tarkov.
- New studio: Development is handled by Rant Gaming Studios, separate from Battlestate Games.
- Publisher: Cor3 is publishing the new science-fiction project.
- Creative direction: The game targets gritty, realistic hard science fiction rather than space fantasy.
- Current status: The project remains in development, with closed alpha testing planned for 2026.
Fragmentary Order creator: Nikita Buyanov
The Fragmentary Order creator is Nikita Buyanov, a game developer known for his work connected to Escape from Tarkov. In 2026, Buyanov revealed that he was leading a separate science-fiction project through a new company rather than turning Fragmentary Order into a direct continuation of Tarkov.
That distinction is important for understanding the game’s identity. Buyanov has described Fragmentary Order as “another invention” and “another adventure,” not a replacement for Tarkov. The project is designed around a new setting, different technology, larger environments, and a broader interpretation of tactical combat.
The new game grew from Buyanov’s long-standing interest in hard science fiction. Instead of presenting a colorful or purely fantastical space adventure, the team is developing a grounded future shaped by industrial technology, artificial intelligence, social control, and realistic military systems.
Buyanov’s previous experience influences the project’s tactical focus, but Fragmentary Order is being developed as an independent creative direction with a largely new team.
| Creator Detail | Confirmed Information |
|---|---|
| Lead creator | Nikita Buyanov |
| Previous association | Escape from Tarkov |
| New development studio | Rant Gaming Studios |
| Publisher | Cor3 |
| Project genre | Hard science-fiction combat simulator |
| Development status | In production during 2026 |
Why Buyanov started a new project
Buyanov explained that working on Tarkov for more than a decade had become exhausting, while also creating a strong desire to experiment with a different type of world. Fragmentary Order gives him a chance to explore future combat, remote-controlled units, space colonies, and the social consequences of AI-led systems.
The goal is not simply to move modern weapons into a space setting. The team wants to consider how military equipment, economies, communication, and everyday life might evolve over the next several hundred years. That approach is central to the project’s identity.
Tactical Foundation
Buyanov brings experience with detailed weapon handling, difficult combat, and simulation-focused design.
New Setting
Fragmentary Order moves from modern conflict into a possible future across Earth, the Moon, Mars, and other locations.
Independent Direction
The project is not presented as Tarkov in space or as a direct replacement for Tarkov.
Hard Science Fiction
Technology is designed around physical explanations, potential military applications, and realistic limitations.
Rant Gaming Studios and Cor3
Fragmentary Order is being developed by Rant Gaming Studios, a new studio established separately from Battlestate Games. Buyanov said the project team includes about 130 developers, while roughly 98% of the team is new compared with the earlier Tarkov development group.
A small number of consultants with Tarkov experience remain involved, allowing the new studio to benefit from existing knowledge without making the project a continuation of the previous game. This structure also allows Battlestate Games to remain focused on Escape from Tarkov.
The team operates internationally, with offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and other locations. Remote work is a major part of the studio’s operating model, although Buyanov also emphasized the value of in-person collaboration for new teams.
| Organization | Role in Fragmentary Order |
|---|---|
| Rant Gaming Studios | Main development studio |
| Cor3 | Publisher |
| Nikita Buyanov | Creator and project leader |
| Battlestate Games | Separate company continuing Tarkov development |
| Core team size | About 130 developers in 2026 |
| Production timeline | About 1.5 years including pre-production, as discussed in 2026 |
Rant Gaming Studios and Battlestate Games are separate organizations. Fragmentary Order is not described as a new Tarkov expansion or a Battlestate Games release.
Development approach
The project spent approximately six months in pre-production, including concept art, early planning, and formation of the initial core team. Active production then continued for about a year before the 2026 interview.
Buyanov has acknowledged that managing Fragmentary Order alongside Tarkov-related responsibilities is difficult. The team is also working with Unreal Engine, creating a different technical and visual workflow from the Unity-based technology associated with Tarkov.
The choice of Unreal Engine reflects the project’s emphasis on advanced visuals and large-scale environments. It also supports the team’s intention to create a more detailed future world, although the final performance and technical requirements remain subject to development.
Development facts at a glance
| Area | Current Direction |
|---|---|
| Team structure | Mostly new international team |
| Work model | Primarily remote, with office collaboration |
| Engine | Unreal Engine |
| Production phase | Early development and prototyping |
| Testing | Closed alpha planned for 2026 |
| Release date | Not announced as of September 6, 2026 |
No public launch date has been confirmed. Treat closed alpha plans as a testing milestone, not as an announced early-access or full-release schedule.
The creator’s design vision
Buyanov’s design philosophy for Fragmentary Order focuses on a demanding and rewarding combat experience. Although the game includes extraction mechanics, he has avoided defining it as a conventional extraction shooter. Instead, the project is presented as a combat simulator with infiltration, exfiltration, survival, and economic progression.
This means players should not assume that every activity revolves around entering a map, collecting items, and escaping. The broader concept includes dynamic events, hazardous environments, cooperation, vehicles, remote-controlled units, and multiple roles within a connected future economy.
Expect Fragmentary Order to build on tactical combat while expanding the loop with survival decisions, environmental hazards, social systems, and location-specific objectives.
What makes the combat different
The game is intended to support several forms of conflict. Players may face humans controlling clones, artificial units, robots, or drones rather than aliens and traditional fantasy creatures. Technology is treated as something with physical costs and detectable consequences.
For example, advanced sensors may reveal thermal, magnetic, or electromagnetic information rather than functioning like a magical wall-penetration ability. Equipment that provides more information may also increase a player’s detectable signature, creating a trade-off between awareness and exposure.
| Combat System | Planned Direction |
|---|---|
| Opponents | Humans, clones, robots, drones, and artificial units |
| Core loop | Infiltrate, complete objectives, and exfiltrate |
| Detection | Thermal, magnetic, and electromagnetic information |
| Weapons | Kinetic firearms, powder-based weapons, railguns, and customized systems |
| Mobility | Ground vehicles and large locations |
| Team size | Likely four-player groups, though details remain subject to change |
Environmental factors
Fragmentary Order is expected to include multiple gravity conditions and environmental hazards. Gravity may affect equipment and movement, while electromagnetic effects and other dangers can influence how players prepare for a mission.
The developers have indicated that full zero-gravity combat is unlikely to be a primary system because it would require a separate gameplay structure. However, low-gravity or location-specific conditions remain part of the project’s wider design.
Read the Location
Identify the environment before committing to a fight. Gravity, electromagnetic effects, visibility, and available cover may change the safest approach.
Choose Practical Equipment
Build around the mission’s hazards instead of selecting equipment only for maximum damage. Information tools can help, but detectable signatures may expose your position.
Control the Engagement
Use realistic positioning, sound, cover, and timing. The design favors deliberate combat over unrestricted rushing.
Plan the Exit
Infiltration is only one part of the mission. Keep an exfiltration route, account for dynamic events, and avoid spending every resource before extraction.
Lore foundations and future locations
The setting of Fragmentary Order is built around an AI-driven organization called Core. In the game’s history, Core helped organize society, economic activity, communication, work, and conflict through connected systems. That order begins to fragment when Core’s control weakens, creating new conflicts throughout the solar system.
The title has a layered meaning. In military terminology, a fragmentary order is a complex order assembled from separate pieces. Within the story, the phrase also reflects the breakdown of Core’s centralized control.
A major event in the backstory involves an experiment at a secret underground Soviet facility in the Urals. Something went wrong, teleporting a piece of Earth to the far side of the Moon. The reason for the event has not been revealed publicly, leaving it as one of the setting’s central mysteries.
| Location or Faction | Current Lore Direction |
|---|---|
| Earth | Source of the historical and technological foundations of the setting |
| Moon | Contains a transported piece of Earth and living, abandoned-feeling locations |
| Mars | A major early location with a persistent struggle between rival powers |
| PCF | Rebel sub-faction on Mars that claims the identity of true Martians |
| CCS | Core Colonial Structure administering colonization |
| Core | AI-driven system and organization whose control is weakening |
Mars and the wider solar system
Mars is described as the first major location, with an atmosphere comparable to a frontier or Wild West setting. Communities are attempting to survive while competing powers fight for control.
The PCF and the Core Colonial Structure are not simply two universal good-versus-evil teams. They represent local political and historical conflicts within the Martian setting. Fragmentary Order is also expected to include lore for individual factions and locations, rather than relying only on one global narrative.
Other possible locations include space stations, ring-world-style habitats, lunar areas, colonies, and terraforming sites. Each location is intended to have its own mood and local history while remaining connected to the larger solar-system storyline.
Treat each location as its own narrative layer. The global conflict explains the solar system, while local factions and bosses provide more focused stories to uncover.
What to track about the creator and project
Fragmentary Order remains an evolving project, so the most useful way to follow it is to separate confirmed direction from unrevealed systems. The creator has shared broad information about the setting and design goals, but many details—including the exact release structure, funding, and final gameplay loop—remain undisclosed.
The project’s identity is already clear in several areas: grounded science fiction, difficult combat, large maps, vehicles, artificial units, remote control, and a future economy organized through AI systems. Its final form will depend on how these ideas work together during testing.
Key Details to Monitor:
- Closed alpha announcements and testing requirements
- Official clarification of early access and launch plans
- Gameplay footage showing combat, movement, and environmental hazards
- More information about Core, PCF, CCS, and Mars
- Weapon customization, vehicles, team size, and progression systems
Confirmed versus unrevealed information
| Topic | Confirmed Direction | Still Unrevealed |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Nikita Buyanov | Future leadership changes, if any |
| Studio | Rant Gaming Studios | Long-term studio expansion |
| Publisher | Cor3 | Publishing schedule details |
| Technology | Unreal Engine | Final system requirements |
| Gameplay | Combat simulator with extraction mechanics | Complete mission and progression structure |
| Story | Core, Mars, PCF, CCS, and Earth-Moon mystery | Full explanation of the teleportation event |
| Release | Closed alpha planned for 2026 | Launch and early-access dates |
For the most reliable project updates, use the GamesBeat interview with Nikita Buyanov as a reference for the creator’s 2026 comments, then compare future announcements with official channels from Rant Gaming Studios and Cor3.
Do not label Fragmentary Order as a Tarkov sequel, promise a specific launch date, or present unrevealed mechanics as final features. Development details may change during testing.
FAQ
Q: Who is the Fragmentary Order creator?
Nikita Buyanov is the creator and project leader publicly associated with Fragmentary Order. He is known for his previous work connected to Escape from Tarkov.
Q: Is Fragmentary Order made by Battlestate Games?
No. The project is being developed by Rant Gaming Studios and published by Cor3. Battlestate Games remains focused on Escape from Tarkov.
Q: Is Fragmentary Order Tarkov in space?
The creator has specifically framed it as a new invention rather than Tarkov in space. It shares an interest in difficult tactical combat but introduces a different setting and broader systems.
Q: When will Fragmentary Order release?
As of September 6, 2026, no public launch date has been confirmed. Closed alpha testing is planned, but that milestone does not establish a final release schedule.