Escape from Tarkov's upcoming Arena spin-off isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. Battlestate boss Nikita Buyanov said in a new interview with GameSpot that the team hopes people play and enjoy Arena, but if they aren't interested, that's OK too.

Whereas some games try to break new ground and stir things up in a given genre, that's not exactly the ambition for Arena.

"We didn't plan for Tarkov Arena to be a groundbreaking experience. We're just creating stuff, and that's it. I will never say that Arena will be the best of the best," he said. "If it's good, go play. If it's not, don't play it. That's it. We are not thinking that we will conquer the world of shooters. No."

Arena aims to expand the Tarkov universe by giving players a more approachable experience compared to the main Tarkov game that is known to be challenging for newcomers. Arena is a smaller-scale head-to-head experience that Battlestate hopes will be seen as more approachable.

Arena will not have microtransactions or pay-to-win elements, which is surely positive news for fans to hear ahead of launch. The game does not have a release date yet, but its beta could arrive as soon as early December.

Arena features four role presets, including Assault, CQB, Scout, and Sniper. There is shared progression between Arena and the main Escape from Tarkov, so things like character levels, skills, and weapon progression moves between both games, similar to how the newest Call of Duty games operate. Arena has five main modes, including Shootout, Teamfight, Overrun, Last Hero, and Duel, as well as more than a half-dozen maps.

For more on Arena, check out GameSpot's hands-on gameplay preview in the video above.

You can preorder Arena now for $35. Doing so gets you early access to a closed beta test and other bonuses. People who buy the Escape from Tarkov: Edge of Darkness edition get into the Arena test at no extra cost.