Arc Raiders
News, coverage and analysis tracking Arc Raiders across the outlets.
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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 matchmaking
Embark 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 shooter
Embark 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.
Black Ops Royale map explained: What are all of the Avalon POIs?
The Black Ops Royale map, Avalon, features a new layout with increased water areas compared to Verdansk. The guide details all Points of Interest (POIs) across five distinct zones: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest Coast, South Central, and East/Southeast. Despite the removal of mechanics like loadouts and buy stations, the introduction of the grapple hook is expected to maintain a fast-paced gameplay flow.
BAFTA Games Awards 2026 Nominees Revealed with Clair Obscur Leading the Pack
BAFTA has revealed the nominees for the upcoming BAFTA Games Awards, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading the pack with numerous nominations across various categories including Artistic Achievement, Debut Game, and Best Game. Other nominated titles include Dispatch, Ghost of Yotei, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The winners will be announced on April 17th.
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 game
Embark 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 sweep
The 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.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Dispatch Lead BAFTA Game Awards 2026 Nominations - IGN
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the BAFTA Games Awards 2026 nominations with 12 nods, including Best Game and Debut Game. Dispatch follows with nine nominations, while Ghost of Yōtei and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach also received multiple nominations. The awards ceremony will take place on April 17.
BAFTA Games Awards Nominees Announced, Clair Obscur Gets 12 Nominations
The nominees for the 22nd Annual BAFTA Games Awards have been announced, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading the pack with 12 nominations across 10 categories. Other notable games receiving multiple nominations include Dispatch, Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Arc Raiders. The awards ceremony will take place on April 17 as part of the London Games Festival.
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.
Best Extraction Shooters to Play in 2026 — Too Much Gaming | Video Games Reviews, News, & Guides
This guide highlights the best extraction shooter games available in 2026, emphasizing the genre's high-stakes gameplay where players risk losing all their gear upon death. Titles like Escape from Tarkov, ARC Raiders, and Marathon are discussed for their unique takes on the formula, ranging from punishing realism to more casual-friendly experiences.
Marathon ignores extraction shooter 'rules' and is better for it
Marathon distinguishes itself in the extraction shooter genre by eschewing common design tropes like safe pockets and multiple simultaneous quests. Bungie's approach prioritizes frequent PvP encounters and shorter round timers, creating a more explosive and less punishing experience compared to titles like Escape From Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown. The game's design encourages constant player interaction and quick engagements, making each match feel dynamic and engaging.
Issues and Activism
Embark 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.
Morning Patches
This article provides a roundup of recent patch notes and updates for several games. Notable updates include Patch Notes 1.19.0 for ARC Raiders, a Steam Client Update from March 9th, Patch Notes - Update 40.2 for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, and the release of an offline mode for Turnbound.
Arc Raiders turns down electromagnetic storm lightning despite some players preferring the chaos, as Embark promises compensation for folks impacted by recent server issues
Embark Studios is providing compensation to Arc Raiders players affected by recent server issues that caused loss of rewards. The developers have also adjusted the frequency of the Electromagnetic Storm's lightning strikes, as some players found the previous intensity to be excessive.
Marathon’s Fiddly Quests Need To Stop Getting in the Way of the Fun - IGN
This analysis critiques the quest design in Bungie's extraction shooter Marathon, arguing that its "contracts" are overly fiddly and often impede the core looting and shooting gameplay. While the game is still enjoyable, the author suggests improvements are needed to make objectives clearer and less disruptive to the player experience.
Arc Raiders is handing out loadout refunds for last week's server issues: 'This outage impacted a large number of players, so we are making an exception'
Embark Studios is issuing loadout refunds in Arc Raiders due to recent server issues that caused players to lose gear after successful runs. The developer acknowledged the widespread impact of the outages and is making an exception for affected players. The latest patch also introduces new character customization options.
Jag hinner inte bli vuxen
The author reflects on embracing a playful, gaming-focused lifestyle over traditional adult responsibilities like mortgages and formal careers. Despite nearing 43, they find joy in video games like Arc Raiders, Banjo-Kazooie, and Resident Evil, alongside their cat Björn-Helmut, prioritizing fun and personal fulfillment over societal expectations of adulthood.
As the Marathon player count discourse reaches peak stupidity, Warframe and Overwatch devs speak up in solidarity: 'This is big unemployed, maidenless behavior'
Developers from Warframe and Overwatch have spoken out against the intense scrutiny of Marathon's player count on Steam, calling it "unemployed, maidenless behavior." Rebecca Ford of Warframe highlighted the increased competition in the market since the game's launch, while Dylan Snyder of Overwatch pointed out the limitations of using SteamDB for player count analysis. The discussion touches on the challenges faced by new live service games in a crowded market.
ARC Raiders Players Will Get Back Items Lost From Recent Outage After Studio Investigates Cases
Embark Studios is investigating and returning lost items to ARC Raiders players affected by recent server outages and extraction issues. The studio is making an exception to its usual policy due to the widespread impact of the outages. The latest update also includes new cosmetic items, bug fixes, and addresses a security exploit related to Discord SDK logging.
