In 2012, the Russian studio AbsolutSoft released its first project, a browser-based multiplayer first-person shooter with RPG elements, Contract Wars. In 2015, it announced a sequel, Contract Wars Standalone, but later renamed it Hired Ops and promised a release towards the end of 2016. A closed beta test will begin in the fourth quarter, at least, and you can sign up for it today. Incidentally, unlike Contract Wars, this new game is paid, while free access is available via torrent download. Hired Ops. The new shooter will be set in the same universe — Russia in 2028, in the fictional city of Tarkov in the fictional Norovino region. The developers promise completely new maps and much more. Specifically, they've revised the base stats, skill system, and weapon stats. Cover will now be more useful — you can now peek out from behind it, thereby taking less damage during a firefight. Another interesting feature is a combined sight, allowing you to use the same weapon in both close and long-range combat. The developers have also prepared new and revised game modes, a fresh clan system, improved matchmaking, and the ability to build your own bases for your own military companies. As in Contract Wars, the emphasis is on teamwork. The same story continues: Hired Ops about the confrontation between mercenary groups, or more precisely, it is dedicated to the height of contract warfare, which ultimately leads to the events described in another multiplayer online shooter, Escape From Tarkov. The latter is being developed by the Russian studio Battlestate Game, and representatives of AbsolutSoft reported that between Escape From Tarkov and Hired Ops There will be overlaps in terms of factions and possibly characters, locations, and even plot.