Embark Studios
Embark Studios business and news from across the web.
Amidst high profile live service failures, Arc Raiders production director says he hopes other studios are 'given the same chance we had, because it's so hard to put a game out'Embark Studios' production director Caio Braga stated that many live service games fail because they are not given enough development time to pivot and reinvent themselves, unlike Arc Raiders. He hopes other studios receive similar creative freedom to adjust their projects, as game development is not an exact formula and often requires significant changes to succeed.
Arc Raiders Boss Says Bungie Did a 'Really Good Job' Addressing Feedback After 'Heavily Criticized' Marathon Playtest - IGNEmbark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund praised Bungie for effectively addressing player feedback on their upcoming game Marathon. Söderlund noted that despite initial criticism of Marathon's technical test, the Bungie team rapidly improved the game, which he finds unusual and commendable. He also commented on the differences between Marathon and Embark's own game, Arc Raiders, highlighting Marathon's PvP focus.
Embark CEO Says 'Some' Arc Raiders AI Voice Lines Were Re-Recorded by Humans Post-Launch: 'There Is a Quality Difference' - IGNEmbark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund confirmed that some AI-generated voice lines in Arc Raiders have been replaced with human performances post-launch due to a noticeable quality difference. While AI is used as a production tool for testing, Söderlund emphasized that the studio does not aim to replace human actors and that many voice lines were originally recorded by humans who have been compensated.
Arc Raiders could one day get vehicles, but Embark says no promises: 'We have prototypes from seven years ago'Embark Studios is considering adding vehicles to their extraction shooter Arc Raiders, though it is not currently in active development. Production director Caio Braga stated that while vehicles are not off the table, they are not a current priority, with prototypes existing from seven years ago.
Arc Raiders dev uses clip of FPS streamer Shroud summing up "game dev in a nutshell" to reinforce how Embark "failed" during development: "We really did - twice"Embark Studios' production director Ciao Braga used a clip of streamer Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek to illustrate the significant development challenges faced by Arc Raiders, admitting the studio failed with its plans twice. The article highlights how the game's development involved internal debates about its genre and how streamer support, including from Shroud, was crucial for its eventual success.
Embark Studios head Patrick Söderlund explains how Arc Raiders was made on "a quarter of the budget" of a AAA titleEmbark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund explains how the company aims to achieve AAA quality with significantly smaller teams and budgets, challenging conventional development wisdom. He highlights the use of efficient pipelines, procedural generation, and AI as production tools, while also discussing the studio's approach to the extraction shooter genre with Arc Raiders and addressing industry-wide layoffs. Söderlund plans for Embark to have four games on the market within five years without drastically increasing headcount.
Arc Raiders' old machine designs sound so diabolical, it's no wonder they were reworked or removed after poor playtest feedback: 'At that time, they didn't fit with the game very well'Embark Studios' extraction shooter Arc Raiders underwent significant changes to its machine designs and AI due to poor playtest feedback. Production director Caio Braga discussed how enemies like Hornet, Sentinels, and Fireballs were reworked to be more understandable and balanced, with some original concepts being removed entirely because they did not fit the evolving game vision.
The first thing Arc Raiders' devs did during its extraction pivot was to reduce the speed of everything by 60%: 'All the craft that was in the game was kind of background noise'Embark Studios significantly altered the core gameplay of Arc Raiders by reducing player movement speed by 60%, shifting from a fast-paced boss-killing focus to a more deliberate experience. This change, inspired by their work on The Finals and previous PvP titles, aimed to make player actions more impactful and less like background noise.
BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations revealed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads in nine categoriesThe nominations for the 2026 BAFTA Game Awards have been revealed, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading with 12 nominations, including Best Game. Other notable nominees for Best Game include Dispatch and Ghost of Yōtei. The awards ceremony will take place on April 17, 2026, in London.
Arc Raiders Now Has Fewer AI Voices, As Dev Re-Recorded Lines Amid ControversyEmbark Studios head Patrick Söderlund has confirmed that Arc Raiders now features fewer AI-generated voice lines after some were re-recorded with human actors following controversy. While the studio still uses AI for select purposes and as a production tool, Söderlund stated that professional actors provide a higher quality of performance.
2026 Game Developers Choice Awards winners announcedThe winners for the 2026 Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced. Several titles were recognized across various categories, including Best Audio, Best Debut, Best Design, Innovation Award, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art, Social Impact, and Audience Award. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince were among the most nominated games.
Arc Raiders devs spent 3 years fighting "on a daily basis" over whether it was "a battle royale," "a hero looter shooter," "a co-op Soul game," or "a co-op Shadow of the Colossus game"Developers at Embark Studios spent three years internally debating the core genre of Arc Raiders, with discussions ranging from battle royale to a co-op Shadow of the Colossus-like experience. After a significant reset and focusing on its foundation as an extraction shooter, the game has achieved significant commercial success, selling 14 million copies in its first three months.
Co-op Shadow of the Colossus and hero looter shooter: the genres Arc Raiders devs' thought it was during developmentDuring development, the genre of Arc Raiders was unclear, with team members considering it a battle royale, a co-op Shadow of the Colossus-like game, a hero looter shooter, or even a co-op Souls game. This lack of a defined genre allowed for creative freedom but also led to imbalances. Ultimately, the team reset and focused on the game they had, solidifying it as an extraction shooter.- Arc Raiders received 'substantial negative PvP sentiment' during testing, causing the devs to second-guess its big pivot before realising it was really frustration with weapons and matchmakingEmbark Studios' Arc Raiders initially faced negative player sentiment regarding its PvP elements during testing, leading developers to reconsider the game's direction. This frustration stemmed from issues with weapons and matchmaking, ultimately shaping the game into its current PvPvE extraction shooter format.
"A lot of games would be canceled": Arc Raiders lead recalls cutting all but 25 people in "desperation" when Nexon "gave us one more try" to salvage the flailing shooterEmbark Studios production director Caio Braga revealed that the development of Arc Raiders faced significant challenges, leading to a drastic reduction in staff from 120 to 25 developers during a critical 'reset' phase. This decision was made to salvage the flailing shooter after receiving another chance from Nexon, focusing on leveraging the team's PvP expertise to improve the existing foundations of the extraction game.
The first thing Arc Raiders testers told Embark after the game pivoted to PvP was "they didn't like the PvP," and they didn't feel any better about its looting: "They were not very happy"Arc Raiders testers expressed dissatisfaction with the game's PvP elements and looting system shortly after its introduction. Production director Caio Braga revealed that initial player feedback was substantially negative, with many questioning the decision to add PvP to the game.- No one at Embark could describe Arc Raiders before its extraction shooter pivot, leading to 'playtest battles' of competing directions for the gameEmbark Studios' extraction shooter Arc Raiders underwent significant development pivots, moving away from its initial PvE concepts due to a lack of clear direction. Production director Caio Braga detailed how internal playtest battles and conflicting visions led to the game's eventual focus on the extraction shooter genre, leveraging the studio's experience with The Finals.
Bafta Games 2026 nominees announced and it’s another Clair Obscur sweepThe nominations for the Bafta Games Awards 2026 have been announced, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading the pack with 12 nominations, matching its record at The Game Awards. Dispatch and Arc Raiders also received multiple nominations, including for Best Game. The awards ceremony is scheduled for April 17.
The Arc in Arc Raiders have multiple "brains," and they all love pursuing you because Embark gives them "rewards" in real-time via machine learning: "I learned to walk on my own"Embark Studios is utilizing a machine learning architecture for Arc Raiders' enemies, where AI agents are rewarded in real-time for pursuing players. This creates a feedback loop that drives the AI's aggressive behavior, with multiple neural networks controlling these entities.- Issues and ActivismEmbark Studios is issuing loadout refunds for Arc Raiders due to recent server issues that impacted a large number of players. The developer stated this is an exception to their usual policy to address the widespread outage.