Sometimes the hardest thing a developer can admit is that their game sucks. Embark Studios just confirmed they reached exactly that conclusion with Arc Raiders after three years of work. The sci-fi robot shooter announced with a bombastic trailer at The Game Awards 2021 felt nothing like that trailer when people actually played it. Fun moments happened maybe once every 50 fights, which isn’t even close to good enough.
The Painful Realization
Embark CEO Patrick Soderlund recalls watching the 2021 reveal and thinking he’d want to play that game. The problem was the actual game felt completely different. Fresh testers and internal playtesters confirmed what the team already suspected deep down. The PvE action fighting massive robots could be entertaining sometimes, but those moments were too rare and inconsistent.
Aleksandr Grondal joined Embark as executive producer expecting to put a ribbon on the multiplayer game ahead of its final six months before launch. Instead, he walked into a project that didn’t know what it was trying to be. There’s moments of fun, but it doesn’t consistently gel, he told Edge Magazine. Soderlund was even more blunt after spending three years on the project. 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.
The Controversial Pivot
That realization triggered a complete redesign. Embark scrapped the PvE-only approach and rebuilt Arc Raiders as a PvPvE extraction shooter. Players now deploy into large maps filled with hostile robots and other human raiders hunting for loot. The goal is to scavenge supplies, complete missions, and extract before dying, because death means losing all equipped gear.
Adding PvP was a bitter pill for many at Embark to swallow. The studio’s founding developers left EA and DICE specifically because they were tired of competitive multiplayer after working on Battlefield and Star Wars Battlefront. They wanted to explore other creative directions, which is why Arc Raiders was originally conceived as a cooperative PvE experience.
Fans were equally unhappy when the shift was announced. The backlash was immediate, with players accusing Embark of chasing extraction shooter trends instead of delivering the unique PvE game they promised. Soderlund acknowledged the criticism but insisted the decision would make sense if people could have played the old version. Sometimes retreating to your comfort zone is the right move, even if it contradicts your original vision.
Why PvP Made the Difference
The addition of other players fundamentally changed Arc Raiders’ dynamic. Instead of predictable AI behaviors, human opponents introduce chaos and unpredictability. Recent trailers showcase tense standoffs where players negotiate before one gets gunned down by a third party hiding nearby. That kind of emergent gameplay rarely happens against bots following scripted patterns.
If you’ve played The Division’s Dark Zone or Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, you know exactly what Embark is chasing. The moment you hear footsteps that aren’t your squad, adrenaline spikes. Do you engage? Try to avoid conflict? Attempt an uneasy truce to take down a giant robot together before betraying each other? Those social dynamics inject life into gameplay loops that would feel repetitive against AI-only enemies.
Embark also leaned into their Shadow of the Colossus inspiration by making the ARC robots massive, awe-inspiring threats that patrol the landscape. These kaiju-like enemies force stealth and careful planning since fighting more than one usually ends badly. Combined with human raiders who might snipe you while you’re distracted by a robot, the tension stays high throughout matches.
Validation Through Testing
The big question was whether players would embrace the new direction after years of delays and broken promises. Technical tests in April and May 2025 provided the answer. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, vindicating Embark’s risky decision to start over. The second tech test expanded to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S alongside PC, letting the team stress test console versions and gather data across platforms.
Steam wishlist numbers tell the story. Arc Raiders currently sits as the fifth-most-wishlisted game on the platform, just two spots behind Battlefield 6. That’s remarkable for a game that underwent such a dramatic mid-development redesign and faced heavy criticism from its own community. The buzz is real, and players seem willing to give Embark another chance.
The Cost of Getting It Right
Delaying a game for three years to completely rebuild core systems is the kind of move only studios with financial cushion can pull off. Embark has that luxury thanks to The Finals, their free-to-play game show shooter that launched in 2023 and continues generating revenue. Without that safety net, Arc Raiders would likely have shipped as a mediocre PvE game and flopped.
The original 2022 launch window came and went. Then 2023. Then 2024. Each delay deepened player skepticism about whether Embark knew what they were doing. Now with an October 30, 2025 release date locked in, the studio finally feels confident they’ve cracked the formula. The shift from PlayStation exclusive to multiplatform day-one launch across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S signals they’re going all-in.
What Launch Looks Like
Arc Raiders is launching as a premium game, abandoning the free-to-play model originally planned. Players gear up from their personal stash, deploy into 30-minute matches filled with robots and rival raiders, complete quests for traders, and extract via elevators or special hatch keys. Progression comes through quest completion and a persistent skill tree that unlocks abilities like extended stamina and faster climbing.
The extraction shooter genre hasn’t saturated gaming the way battle royales and hero shooters have, which gives Arc Raiders room to stand out. Tarkov dominates the hardcore space, but its punishing difficulty and learning curve scare off casual players. Hunt: Showdown owns the PvPvE niche with its monster-hunting twist. Arc Raiders is betting on accessible mechanics, sci-fi spectacle, and those massive robots to carve out its own identity.
Lessons in Brutal Honesty
The Arc Raiders story is a masterclass in knowing when to kill your darlings. Soderlund and his team spent years designing systems they loved individually, but collectively those pieces didn’t create a fun game. Admitting that reality six months before launch took courage, especially knowing the delays and fan backlash it would trigger.
Most studios double down instead. They convince themselves one more patch will fix the core issues, or that players just don’t understand their vision yet. Embark could have shipped a forgettable PvE robot shooter in 2022 and moved on to the next project. Instead, they bet on themselves, rebuilt from scratch, and emerged with something players actually want to play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Arc Raiders delayed for three years?
Embark Studios realized the original PvE-only version wasn’t fun after internal testing showed enjoyable moments happened once every 50 fights. They completely redesigned the game as a PvPvE extraction shooter, which required years of additional development.
What changed between the original Arc Raiders and the current version?
The game shifted from a cooperative PvE experience fighting robots to a PvPvE extraction shooter where players compete against both AI enemies and human raiders for loot while trying to extract safely.
When does Arc Raiders release?
Arc Raiders launches October 30, 2025 on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It’s a multiplatform day-one release instead of the timed PlayStation exclusive originally planned.
Why did Embark add PvP after founders left DICE to avoid competitive multiplayer?
Despite founding developers being tired of PvP after working on Battlefield, they realized player-versus-player combat was necessary to make Arc Raiders consistently fun. The unpredictability of human opponents solved the repetitive AI behavior problem.
Is Arc Raiders free-to-play?
No. Arc Raiders shifted from a planned free-to-play model to a premium paid release. The monetization strategy changed during the redesign process.
How did players react to the PvPvE pivot?
Initial fan reaction was extremely negative, with accusations that Embark was chasing trends. However, technical tests in April and May 2025 received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and the game is now the fifth-most-wishlisted on Steam.
What makes Arc Raiders different from other extraction shooters?
Arc Raiders features massive Shadow of the Colossus-inspired robots as AI enemies alongside human raiders. The sci-fi setting and emphasis on stealth around giant mechanized threats differentiates it from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown.
Conclusion
Arc Raiders went from disaster to one of Steam’s most anticipated games through brutal self-assessment and willingness to start over. Embark could have shipped a boring robot shooter years ago, taken the mediocre reviews, and moved on. Instead, they admitted the truth, pivoted to PvPvE gameplay, and spent three extra years getting it right. Whether that gamble pays off when players finally get their hands on the finished product in late October remains to be seen, but at least Embark can say they didn’t settle for not fun.