Nikita Buyanov has officially revealed COR3, a new sci-fi project set on a post-apocalyptic Mars. The announcement marks Buyanov's first major venture beyond Escape from Tarkov, the extraction shooter he's spent over a decade developing at Battlestate Games.
The Reveal
The first teaser trailer dropped on February 1st, 2026, capping off weeks of cryptic marketing. An elaborate ARG had players acting as private investigators, solving puzzles and hunting for clues across an interactive website at core3.gg.
That site presented a post-apocalyptic setting where users could probe systems using basic investigative tools. Lore and backstory trickled out gradually, building anticipation before the trailer finally went live.
The trailer's official title, "PRJRPNT_BLUEMARS_FO," has sparked speculation about the game's full name. Some fans interpret it as "Project Repent: Blue Mars," but nothing's been confirmed. COR3 remains the only publicly acknowledged title.
Trailer Breakdown
The teaser runs just over a minute but packs in plenty of visual information about the game's setting and tone.
Ground Level
The trailer opens in first-person, immediately familiar to anyone who's played Tarkov. A soldier moves through ruins, and the camera captures a chamber check on an AK-pattern rifle branded with "Kalash Corp" markings. The weapon handling looks heavy and deliberate, matching Battlestate's signature style.
One curious detail: the rifle has no optics despite the futuristic setting. Battlestate typically showcases weapon customization early in promotional material, so the stripped-down loadout stands out.
The brief ground footage also shows character gear that echoes Tarkov's system. A backpack, melee weapon, holstered sidearm, and radio are all visible on the character model.
Mariner City
The setting is identified as "Mariner City," a wrecked colony on Mars. As the camera pulls back, the destruction becomes clear. Collapsed buildings, shattered infrastructure, and signs of serious military conflict fill the frame.
Multiple settlement areas connect via destroyed highways, with craters scattered across the landscape. Some structures sit within these craters, suggesting either intentional construction or the aftermath of orbital bombardment.
Space Elevator
The trailer's most striking image is a massive space elevator stretching from the Martian surface into orbit. A large cargo vessel sits at its peak, looking almost pristine compared to the devastation below. Lights still function along the elevator, indicating operational infrastructure despite the surrounding chaos.
The cargo ship's scale suggests heavy transport capability, with what appears to be active operations visible. What this means for gameplay remains unknown.
Orbital Wreckage
The camera continues pulling back into space, revealing an orbit choked with destroyed spacecraft. Wrecked vessels of varying sizes drift among the debris, including large multi-crew ships. Smaller single-seat fighters with weapons pylons are visible too, hinting at space combat.
Some intact ships show turret emplacements, pointing to military applications.
Cosmonauts
The trailer ends with deceased cosmonauts floating through the debris field. Their spacesuits are clearly Russian in design, marked with red star insignias. One holds a firearm with spent brass casings drifting nearby, confirming that conventional weapons exist alongside futuristic tech.
A small detail has amused the community: one cosmonaut appears to be flipping the middle finger. Tarkov's dark humor may carry over to this new project.
Setting and Lore
Timeline
The official COR3 website places the game in the year 2251. The lore centers on an organization called "The Core," which claims to have saved humanity from mutual destruction roughly 200 years earlier.
According to the site, The Core gathered humanity's survivors to "turn back the tide of destruction" by uniting world governments. The organization now focuses on rebuilding civilization. An interactive narrative frames this through a recon mission gone wrong, suggesting humanity still teeters on the edge despite The Core's efforts.
Mars Setting
Visual evidence points strongly to Mars as the primary location. The terrain lacks vegetation, the sky looks wrong for Earth, and the overall environment fits a colonized Martian landscape.
The infrastructure shown - cities, space elevators, orbital facilities - suggests humanity occupied this planet for a long time before whatever disaster struck. City lights visible across the planet's surface indicate extensive population, with multiple urban centers beyond just the ruins featured in the trailer.
Tarkov Connection
Developer History
Buyanov has led Battlestate Games since 2012, driving Escape from Tarkov's development through its full release in 2025. He also composed much of the game's soundtrack. COR3 is his first project outside Tarkov in years.
One point of confusion: the exact relationship between COR3 and Battlestate Games isn't clear. The project launched under the "COR3CORP" banner, and as of the trailer's release, Battlestate hadn't officially acknowledged it. Whether this is a separate venture, a subsidiary, or just a marketing choice remains to be seen.
Familiar DNA
No gameplay mechanics have been confirmed, but the trailer's presentation suggests COR3 will carry forward Tarkov's identity. Heavy animations, detailed weapon interactions, and military-survival aesthetics all appear in the footage.
Community forums have already started connecting the teaser to Battlestate's long-discussed "Russia 2028" concept, which was mentioned during Tarkov's development but never materialized.
Tarkov Updates
The COR3 announcement came during a busy period for Escape from Tarkov itself. Battlestate's 2026 roadmap includes two new maps: "Icebreaker," a vertical snow-covered environment, and "End of Line," a claustrophobic metro station.
New mechanics are coming too. Players will finally be able to shoot locks off doors, a long-requested feature. A "Scav Life" DLC is also planned for 2026, along with a crossover collaboration with the developers of "Escape from Duckov," a Tarkov parody title.
Tarkov hit Steam after its 2025 full release and currently sits at Mixed reviews with over 20,000 positive ratings. Console ports remain in the works.
What Remains Unknown
Despite the reveal, fundamental questions about COR3 remain unanswered. No gameplay mechanics have been confirmed, leaving uncertainty about whether this will be a multiplayer extraction experience, a single-player narrative, or something different entirely. Target platforms and release timeline are similarly unannounced. Given that Tarkov spent over a decade in development, nobody should assume COR3 will arrive quickly. The trailer's scope, showing both planetary surfaces and extensive orbital infrastructure, raises questions about what players will actually interact with versus what serves as environmental backdrop. There are also unverified claims of potential licensing connections to NFT or cryptocurrency elements, though no official statements have clarified what role, if any, such features might play.
Looking Forward
The community now shifts to analyzing every frame of the trailer while waiting for further announcements. The ARG website that hosted the countdown now just displays the trailer, though players continue hunting for hidden details.
Tarkov fans finally have something new to look forward to from Buyanov. The jump from Norvinsk to a ruined Mars signals serious ambition from him and his team. How long players might wait to experience it, and what form it ultimately takes, remains anyone's guess.
