Our full chat with Embark: How Arc Raiders was saved mid-development, the balancing process, and the possibility of vehicles

Our full chat with Embark: How Arc Raiders was saved mid-development, the balancing process, and the possibility of vehicles | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Gaming Industry 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’ Third Person Shooter No one at Embark could describe Arc Raiders before its extraction shooter pivot, leading to ‘playtest battles’ of competing directions for the game Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders’ devs didn’t expect such a passionate PvE-only crowd Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders design director says players ‘never worked together’ in testing, but the emergence of care bear lobbies ‘encourages us to lean toward giving opportunities to have friendly interactions’ Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders full interview: ‘Nobody whatsoever thought we’d have this many players’ Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders devs wanted to make it an adventure game more than a shooter: ‘We saw more potential in allowing players to explore rather than just shoot’ Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders could one day get vehicles, but Embark says no promises: ‘We have prototypes from seven years ago’ Third Person Shooter Embark admits Arc Raiders’ bosses are dying too fast because ‘they’re not intended for the full server to go up against’ and ‘we gave players too effective abilities’ Third Person Shooter Arc Raider’s defining feature, according to Embark’s CEO, is all the odd player interactions: ‘We did not expect people to take on roles of Defender of the Swamp’ Action Embark CEO says Arc Raiders ‘should do more with the trading part of the game’ and he’s right Third Person 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 matchmaking Third Person Shooter 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’ Third Person Shooter 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’ Third Person Shooter Let’s settle this: Should Arc Raiders add a PvE mode? Third Person Shooter ‘We did not want to be close to them’: The only game Arc Raiders wanted to avoid on release was predictably GTA 6, ‘I don’t think anyone wanted to be close to them’ PopularSpring SaleClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearQuizzes Games Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders Our full chat with Embark: How Arc Raiders was saved mid-development, the balancing process, and the possibility of vehicles News By Morgan Park Contributions from Tim Clark published 26 March 2026 Production designer Caio Braga talks balancing, high-profile game failures, and the passion for PvE in Arc raiders. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter When your AAA game isn’t fun: How Arc Raiders was saved – YouTube Watch On Earlier this month at the 2026 Game Developers Conference, Embark production director Caio Braga gave a talk titled “When your AAA game isn’t fun: the Arc Raiders story of starting over with intent.”PC Gamer spoke with Braga after the talk to answer some questions on our mind: Will Arc Raiders ever have vehicles? What does Embark make of high-profile failures in live service games? You can (and should) watch the full interview above.One topic that was top of mind for Braga was the community’s influence on updates and how behavior somewhat differed from playtests pre-release. Embark has its fair share of cooperative sessions among the studio, but Braga says the studio tends toward bloodthirsty PvP, including one particularly ruthless coworker.Article continues below You may like 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’ No one at Embark could describe Arc Raiders before its extraction shooter pivot, leading to ‘playtest battles’ of competing directions for the ga