Patrick Söderlund
Reporting and statements that mention Patrick Söderlund.
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An Arc Raiders player who's 'sick of hearing about PvE' has come up with a 'Rival Gangs' PvP…
A player has proposed a new 'Rival Gangs' PvP mode for Arc Raiders, aiming to satisfy players tired of the game's PvE focus. This concept would involve high-difficulty maps with increased loot and a requirement for players to equip at least 30,000 raider coins worth of weapons, ensuring a more balanced and high-stakes player-versus-player experience.
Arc Raiders is getting a new "official" roadmap soon, Embark CEO says, and it'll feature even "more details than we've done in the past"
Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund announced that Arc Raiders will soon receive a new, more detailed roadmap. He stated that due to the game's success, the studio feels obligated to provide more content and is working on improving anti-cheat measures. The next major update, Frozen Trail, is scheduled for October.
Star Wars: The Old Republic's original director hadn't played a single MMO before launching its development studio: 'How the hell did they trust me with this much money?'
James Ohlen, the original director of BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, revealed he had no prior MMO experience when development began. He discussed regrets about the game's launch content and a denied proposal to rename it Star Wars: The New Republic.
BioWare had a plan to reboot Star Wars: The Old Republic and make it more KOTOR like, but EA's board of directors shut it down
Former BioWare lead designer James Ohlen revealed a plan to reboot Star Wars: The Old Republic into a more KOTOR-like experience called 'The New Republic'. Despite convincing Lucasfilm executives Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni, as well as EA's Patrick Söderlund, the project was ultimately rejected by EA's board of directors due to concerns over the original game's high budget.
Arc Raiders studio contacted by crime scientist "intrigued by how players are interacting," dev says only 30% of players focus on PvP: "It kind of blew the whole extraction shooter open"
Embark Studios' extraction shooter Arc Raiders has surprised developers with a significant number of players prioritizing non-combative interactions, with only 30% focusing on PvP. A criminologist has reached out to the studio, intrigued by this player behavior, which deviates from the genre's typical focus on conflict. Data suggests a large portion of players engage in PvE or a mix, with proximity chat being heavily utilized for communication.
Crimson Desert's AI Scandal Should Bother You More
The article criticizes the gaming industry's handling of generative AI use, highlighting Crimson Desert's scandal where Pearl Abyss unintentionally left AI-generated art in the game. It argues that the industry and players overlook AI use, citing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's awards despite similar AI issues. The author expresses concern over the ethical implications, environmental impact, and the potential for AI to devalue human creativity in game development.
"Fantasy-style GTA" open-world game reportedly canceled after 2 years of work at Nexon
Nexon has reportedly canceled its unannounced open-world fantasy game, codenamed Project EL, after approximately two years of development. The game was described as a "fantasy-style GTA" and was being developed by a team led by director Shim Ki-hoon. This cancellation comes shortly after Patrick Söderlund was appointed as Nexon's executive chairman.
ARC Raiders Studio’s Parent Company Wants to Use More AI to “Free” Developers to be Creative
Nexon, the parent company of Embark Studio, is discussing its strategy for using generative AI in game development. Executives Patrick Söderlund and Junghun Lee believe that understanding the challenge of AI, rather than just adopting tools, will lead to success. They emphasize that AI, when used with their proprietary 'Mono Lake Initiative' context, frees developers to focus on creative aspects rather than replacing them.
Arc Raiders is a 'Trojan Horse' for demonstrating AI tool usage in game development, according to Nexon, after Embark built two hits at 'a fraction of the cost you’d expect'
Nexon executive chairman Patrick Söderlund discussed how Embark Studios utilized AI tools and smarter processes to develop games like The Finals and Arc Raiders at a significantly lower cost than typical AAA titles. Söderlund emphasized that understanding how and why to use AI is crucial for success in game development, a philosophy he aims to implement across Nexon's teams.
Nexon calls Arc Raiders a "Trojan Horse" for proving controversial AI tools can build triple-A hits with smaller teams
Nexon, the owner of developer Embark, is promoting the use of AI tools in game development, citing Arc Raiders as a successful 'Trojan Horse' example. Despite initial controversy over AI-generated voices, Nexon president Junghun Lee highlighted how AI can free up development teams to focus on innovation. Embark CEO Patrick Soderlund stated that both Arc Raiders and The Finals were built with significantly fewer people and at a fraction of the cost of typical AAA games.
ARC Raiders bosses double down on using AI in game dev: ‘More time innovating; less time writing code’
Embark Studios and its parent company Nexon are doubling down on the use of AI in game development, emphasizing efficiency and cost reduction. Executives Patrick Söderlund and Junghun Lee believe AI tools free developers to focus more on innovation and less on coding, though they maintain that creative content remains the work of human developers. This approach has been applied to games like ARC Raiders and The Finals, reportedly built with fewer people and at a lower cost.
Arc Raiders boss promoted to Nexon chief backs AI push for "redesigning game development" after building a hit…
Nexon executive chairman Patrick Söderlund, who also leads Embark Studios, believes AI will fundamentally redesign game development. He emphasizes that understanding the context and applying AI strategically, rather than just investing in tools, will determine success. Nexon aims to leverage its extensive experience with live service games like MapleStory to implement AI effectively through its 'Mono Lake' initiative, which is intended to increase efficiency and free up developers for more creative tasks.
'More time innovating; less time writing code:' Arc Raiders publisher Nexon believes AI will liberate its workforce
Nexon is implementing an AI-driven initiative called 'Mono Lake' across its development and live service operations to enhance decision-making and free up developers for more creative tasks. CEO Junghun Lee stated the platform leverages decades of game data to provide context, while Executive Chairman Patrick Söderlund aims to foster smarter workflows and fewer, more impactful bets.
Arc Raiders Boss Comments On Controversial Use Of AI In Gaming
Patrick Soderlund, executive chairman of Nexon and co-founder of Embark Studios, discussed the company's controversial use of AI in game development, particularly for Arc Raiders. He stated that while AI tools are widely available, understanding how to implement them effectively is key to success, leading to significantly reduced development costs for games like Arc Raiders and The Finals. Embark has faced criticism for its AI-generated voice lines, leading to some re-recordings by human actors.
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.
Arc Raiders boss says Marathon has "done a really good job" fixing things after "heavily criticized" technical test: "That's unusual. So credit to that team"
Patrick Söderlund, CEO of Embark Studios, praised Bungie's handling of feedback following Marathon's technical test. He noted that the team has effectively addressed criticisms and improved the game, highlighting the unusual speed of these changes. Söderlund expressed hope for Marathon's success in the competitive live-service market.
Embark "mutually parts ways" with co-founder Rob Runesson following sexual misconduct allegations
Embark Studios has mutually parted ways with co-founder Rob Runesson following allegations of sexual misconduct. While an external investigation did not substantiate the claims, the studio deemed the situation unsustainable. The allegations reportedly involve a female streamer of The Finals, who expressed discomfort with Runesson's advances and concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
New Arc Raiders Patch Finally Takes Aim at the Il Toro to Make it Feel 'More Like a Weapon of Its Rarity' - IGN
Embark Studios has released Arc Raiders update 1.20.0, which includes balance adjustments for the Il Toro shotgun and a reduction in the sell price of energy clips. The update aims to make the Il Toro feel more appropriate for its rarity and to rebalance in-game economy. The patch is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
ARC Raiders replacing some AI voices, CEO says "a real professional actor is better than AI"
Embark Studios is replacing some generative AI voices in ARC Raiders with those of professional actors, according to CEO Patrick Söderlund. While AI will remain a production tool for testing lines, Söderlund stated that human actors provide a superior quality and emotional depth. The studio also uses a similar approach for announcer voice-overs in their other game, THE FINALS.
ARC Raiders Replacing Some of Its Controversial AI Voices with 'Better' Human Ones
Embark Studios is replacing some of the AI-generated voice lines in ARC Raiders with performances from human actors, according to CEO Patrick Söderlund. He stated that human actors offer a noticeable quality difference and that the studio compensates actors for all their work, including licensing their voices for less essential in-game audio.
