Escape From Duckov Enjoys Spec-Quackular Launch With 1 Million Units Sold in Five Days
Escape From Duckov, the duck-filled parody of Escape From Tarkov, has made a splashy debut, selling over 1 million copies in just five days, according to developer Team Soda and publisher Bilibili Game. The quirky top-down PvE shooter launched on October 16 for Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Mac App Store, quickly becoming one of the fastest-rising indie hits of the season.
The official Steam page describes the game as a chaotic and comedic twist on hardcore extraction gameplay, except with ducks instead of soldiers. And judging by its early success, players are embracing the absurdity wholeheartedly.
“Team Soda is incredibly humbled to have reached such heights, and we owe this success to an incredible community of players and our friends at Bilibili Game,” said Jeff Chen, producer at Team Soda. “Whether you’ve been with us through our early days promoting the demo on Steam or are just joining to see what all the quacking is about, thank you.”
The launch trailer captures the game’s distinctive humor and energetic action, setting it apart from its gritty inspiration.
Interestingly, Escape From Duckov launched almost exactly a month ahead of Escape From Tarkov’s long-awaited Steam release on November 15. Despite being a clear parody, Duckov has already found major success on its own terms, currently trending among the most played games on Steam, according to SteamDB charts.
While both games occupy entirely different tonal spaces, the timing sets up an amusing showdown: will this comedic spin-off maintain its momentum once Tarkov lands on Steam? Given Duckov’s viral popularity and its appeal to players looking for a lighter experience, it’s not out of the question that the parody might rival the original in concurrent player count, at least for a time.
For now, Escape From Duckov is enjoying one of the most impressive indie launches of the year, proving that even the most intense genres have room for a good laugh.
Which camp are you in Duckov’s quack-fueled chaos or Tarkov’s hardcore realism?
