Caio Braga
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ARC Raiders Production Director Asserts That “Players Shouldn’t Feel Safe”
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga stated that players of ARC Raiders should not feel completely safe, even in cooperative "Care Bear" lobbies. The game's design intentionally encourages unpredictability and potential betrayal to maintain a constant sense of threat. This approach is informed by player feedback, which shows a dynamic between cooperative and competitive playstyles.
"Players shouldn't feel fully safe" in Arc Raiders even in friendly lobbies, production director says, and after Flashpoint I definitely do not feel safe
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga discussed the recent Flashpoint update for Arc Raiders, emphasizing that players should not feel safe even in friendly lobbies. The update aims to reintroduce a challenging difficulty and address player feedback from both aggressive and cautious playstyles. Braga highlighted the studio's focus on understanding community problems without necessarily implementing their proposed solutions, aiming for a balanced PvPvE experience.
Embark devs playtested Arc Raiders too viciously, so they found a system that let them be Care Bears one day and aggressive the next
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga revealed that the development team for Arc Raiders played the game very aggressively during internal playtests. To better understand diverse player experiences, Braga implemented a randomizer to dictate his playstyle daily, switching between aggressive, friendly, or quest-focused approaches. This method aimed to ensure the team considered a wider range of player behaviors for the live service shooter.
Arc Raiders devs now force themselves to act nice in playtests to better understand friendly players: "One day I'm playing as a Care Bear, the other day I'm very aggressive"
Developers at Embark Studios are adopting a 'Care Bear' mindset during playtests for Arc Raiders to better understand friendly player behavior. Production director Caio Braga revealed that some developers use a randomizer to switch between aggressive and friendly playstyles to ensure balanced testing.
ARC Raiders dev says creating new endgame content is a top priority: ‘I want them to have more to do’
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga stated that creating new endgame content for ARC Raiders is a top priority. The team is focused on challenging players who have reached the end of the current content and providing them with more activities. Braga also discussed the ongoing balancing efforts and the learning process of managing a live-service game with a team of around 120 people.
ARC Raiders Developer Wants Players That Have Done Everything Else to “Have More to Do”
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga discussed challenges in keeping players engaged with ARC Raiders, particularly those who have completed existing content. The studio is focusing on impactful updates, game balance, and introducing new challenges to retain players. Nexon also promoted CEO Patrick Söderlund to executive chairman.
As Arc Raiders gets stale for some, lead dev says players "reaching the end of our content" are a top focus:…
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga acknowledges that some long-term players are reaching the current content limits of the live service game Arc Raiders. The development team is focusing on addressing player feedback regarding endgame repetition and content longevity ahead of the March 31 Flashpoint update.
Our full chat with Embark: How Arc Raiders was saved mid-development, the balancing process, and the possibility of…
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga discussed the development of Arc Raiders, including how the game was significantly reworked mid-development. He highlighted the importance of player feedback and balancing different playstyles, noting that the studio has prototypes for vehicles in the game.
Arc Raiders guns totally changed after one "guerilla" dev at Embark said hold my beer, "I think I can do better," and remade the entire reload system "himself"
Embark Studios embraces a 'guerilla dev' approach where individual developers can propose and implement significant changes, as seen with the complete rework of the reload system in Arc Raiders. This philosophy, discussed by production director Caio Braga, has also influenced character designs like the Leaper and weapon concepts such as the Kettle, contributing to the game's long and iterative development.
Arc Raiders devs wanted to make it an adventure game more than a shooter: 'We saw more potential in allowing…
Embark's Arc Raiders has pivoted from a shooter-focused experience to emphasize adventure and player exploration. Production director Caio Braga stated that the team saw more potential in allowing players to explore the game's sandbox environments rather than solely focusing on combat.
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 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 once had jump pads and the Snap Hook made you 'like Spider-Man' before its extraction shooter…
Arc Raiders underwent significant changes during development, shifting from a fast-paced, whimsical experience with jump pads to a more tactical PvPvE extraction shooter. Embark production director Caio Braga explained that these changes, including a 60% reduction in speed, were made to foster more strategic gameplay and align with a grounded tone. The Snap Hook mechanic, present since the beginning, was adapted to fit the new gameplay style.
Arc Raiders' devs didn't expect such a passionate PvE-only crowd
Embark production director Caio Braga discussed how Arc Raiders players have shown a more cooperative PvE-focused behavior than anticipated, contrasting with internal playtests that leaned towards more violent player interactions. The developers noted the surprise of this 'friendly lobby' phenomenon within the extraction genre, where players often prefer to team up against AI enemies.
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.
Co-op Shadow of the Colossus and hero looter shooter: the genres Arc Raiders devs' thought it was during development
During 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.
"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.
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.