this game is not fun.” – That’s Gaming

With the release of ARC Raiders at Oct. 30 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, shares developer Embark Studios now candid about how turbulent the development of the highly anticipated PvPvE shooter has been. In an extensive interview with Edge Magazine (via PCGamesN) tells CEO Patrick Söderlund on the internal delays, creative changes of direction and hard realization that ultimately led to the game we will soon be able to play.

From dream to reality

When ARC Raiders was announced in 2022, it promised to be a futuristic co-op shooter in which players fight machines falling from the sky as rebels. The first trailer impressed – it had atmosphere, style and scale. But according to Söderlund, it was missing the most important thing of all: fun.

“We loved every aspect of what we were trying to make,” he says. “But after a long time, we came to the conclusion: ‘People, this game is not fun.'”

That observation caused a hard reality check within the team. The decision was made to discontinue the game delays and return to the drawing board. And during that process, a fundamental change arose: ARC Raiders would no longer be purely PvE, but a PvPvE extraction game In which players must survive not only the environment but also each other.

A new direction, with fresh eyes

In the last six months of development executive producer Aleksandr Grøndal added to the team. He says it took time to understand exactly what the vision was.

“It took a long time before I really understood what we were trying to do,” Grøndal says. “There were times when it was fun, but it just didn’t come together consistently.”

Interestingly, Embark originally did not want to make a new PvP game at all. The team, made up largely of former DICE veterans who previously worked on Battlefield and the competitive The Finals, was “tired of PvP.” Yet that competitive element ultimately proved to be the key to making the game exciting and unpredictable.

From free-to-play to premium

ARC Raiders was originally planned as free-to-play, but in August 2024 Embark announced that it was switching to a premium model. The game will cost at release $39,99, a deliberate choice that the studio says makes the experience better.

“There are many reasons for this change,” Embark explains. “But they all boil down to one belief: a premium business model is a better fit for the game we’re building. It allows us to create a more focused, balanced and immersive survival experience.”

In addition to the standard version, there is also a Deluxe Edition for $59,99, which includes additional cosmetic items, emotes and equipment.

Server Slam and Playtest

Before the game is officially released, Embark is hosting two more playtests:

• Server Slam – from October 17 to 19, intended to put a heavy load on the servers.
• Open Playtest – from October 24 to 27 on PC, just before the official release.

These test periods should ensure the servers remain stable at launch, and give players a taste of the intense combat and dynamic environments.

A second chance for ARC Raiders

After years of development, course changes and internal doubts, ARC Raiders finally seems to be becoming the game Embark always envisioned: a large-scale, dynamic shooter which focuses on strategy, cooperation and survival. The decision to postpone the project several times paid off, according to Söderlund:

“We wanted to make a game that we ourselves would enjoy playing. And that’s where we’ve finally arrived.”

ARC Raiders appears on October 30 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pre-orders are available now, and players who can’t wait can pre-order later this month for the Server Slam or Playtest.