Escape from Tarkov is going to be getting a new weapon soon, it seems – and that always leads to interesting discussions about the survival game‘s economy. Developer Battlestate Games has posted new images of a work-in-progress weapon that looks to be the distinctive Heckler & Koch UMP submachine gun.
If you’ve played a lot of FPS games, you’re probably pretty familiar with the UMP – it’s appeared in everything from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, sometimes showing up with alternative names (such as in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, as the ‘MacTav-45’). Usually you’ll see the version chambered for .45 ACP, which is the version officially used by the U.S. Army’s 5th Special Forces Group.
Since this is Escape from Tarkov, there are a couple other possibilities for its implementation of the weapon. One of the most common real-life variants of the UMP uses 9×19mm Parabellum cartridges, and that round is already prevalent in Tarkov’s ammunition economy, along with the .45 ACP. Another variant, the UMP40, fires .40 S&W rimless pistol rounds – which are not present in Tarkov at this time.
That’s not to say Battlestate doesn’t plan on adding them, however. .45 ACP, after all, was added alongside the M1911 pistol back in May. So it’s anyone’s guess as to which ammunition the UMP accepts – it could be any or all of them, since there’s room in Tarkov to swap upper receivers around as you wish.
#EscapefromTarkov https://t.co/QM4R6eKCov pic.twitter.com/7iRh2zOIjX
— Battlestate Games (@bstategames) November 11, 2020
That said, 9×19mm Parabellum is already used in at least 12 guns in Tarkov, whereas the .45-caliber round is only currently usable with the M1911 and its M45A1 variant. Adding an SMG that fires that cartridge could make it a more in-demand (i.e., useful) round in Tarkov. The straight magazine in the images above further suggests this is the .45-caliber variant.
Battlestate also posted images of the work-in-progress Kriss Vector SMG and the .338 Lapua rifle:
#EscapefromTarkovhttps://t.co/2gb7XU0k87 pic.twitter.com/QJ5dmHrU26
— Battlestate Games (@bstategames) November 11, 2020
#EscapefromTarkov https://t.co/NAB4mTopPc pic.twitter.com/q8JaW9ya6U
— Battlestate Games (@bstategames) November 11, 2020
As ever, time will tell – at this point, the UMP appears to still require skinning and testing, so it may be a while before we’re able to take it out for a spin at Customs.