Earlier, Nikita Buyanov announced that a major update with a season system would be released for Escape from Tarkov by the end of July. At the time, players joked that July would have to be extended, hinting that the developers wouldn't be able to meet the stated deadline.
At the end of the month, the head of Battlestate Games published a "BSG development calendar" — with an extended July:
Sorry, the start of the first season will be slightly delayed. The current planned date is August 3rd.
With update 1.1.0.0, Escape from Tarkov will not only get seasons but also other improvements. For example, the developers decided to rework the side quest system:
The vast majority of quests will no longer be broken into chains, where each new one only unlocks after completing the previous one. Instead, they will be tied to the loyalty level (LL) of traders.
For example, at the first LL, each trader will have a set of basic quests available. To move to the second LL, the player will need to complete several of them. Each new LL will offer a new set of quests, increasing in difficulty.
Most trade offers will be available immediately after reaching a new LL with a trader, without being tied to a specific quest.