ARC Raiders will be released at the end of this month after several years of development at Embark Studios. It’s the culmination of a stack of effort that was reflected quite nicely in a super successful beta test window earlier this year. However, things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows once upon a time, as even the developers didn’t like what they were making.
The reason ARC Raiders went quiet and had an operating model pivot shortly after being revealed was unveiled recently during an interview with the Embark Studios team. In their words, they did what they never thought they could: dipped into the PvP pot to secure the future of ARC Raiders.
ARC Raiders Could Have Been PvE Only
The original idealization of ARC Raiders was a PvE-focused game that encouraged players to work together, rather than to take each other out to secure loot and other goodies. Once the game had been unveiled by Embark Studios, things went silent, and it wasn’t really until last year’s Gamescom showcase that ARC Raiders received a sizeable update and a new trailer.
In a recent interview with Edge Magazine, Embark’s CEO, Patrick Soderlund, explained that the team just couldn’t get along with what they were making.
We loved every aspect of what we were trying to design. But we came to the conclusion, after quite a long time: ‘Guys, this game is not fun’.
(Thanks to PCGamesN for the spot)
Executive Producer on ARC Raiders, Aleksandr Grondal, echoed Soderlund’s sentiments:
There’s moments of fun, but it doesn’t consistently gel.
To push for more consistent entertainment, higher-stakes gameplay, and a sense of competition, Embark Studios opted to roll the game up into a PvPvE model, which seems to have been a complete success, based on recent playtests. It was noted that the Embark team had stepped away from previous roles at EA and DICE because they wanted to break free from PvP mechanics.
Do you think ARC Raiders would be as good if it were a PvE game? Let me know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the prediction that Battlefield 6 could sell five million copies in a week
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
I really enjoyed the beta, but I’m also hoping they introduce event maps that are focused exclusively on co-op against the bots for special rewards. I still want to see some of their original vision, but what they’ve turned it into still feels special.
I’m really bummed about the delay. I was looking forward to playing ARC Raiders, but it sounds like the team is taking the right steps to make it better. I hope it’s worth the wait!
I would have played it as a PvE game, but I have no interest in PvP.
And ironically it’s shift from PVE to forced pvpve in a market already absolutely oversaturated with the extraction shooter formula is why I decided not to buy it.
It’s cool if the have the pvpve but it would be better if you can decide in the menu to turn pop off. I feel the whole pvp concept is more aligned with hey got this new gun. It will kill that raider faster so you can live, got this new season armor better defense. All you got to do is buy $39.99 and you will be fine this we come out with dome else to buy.
Vary good 👍 🎮