ARC Raiders boss talks “terrifying” fan reaction, and the PvE idea they “could not figure out”

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ARC Raiders, the new game from the creators of the popular shooter The Finals, has quickly gained attention, mirroring how the game’s ‘Raiders’ emerge from underground in the story.

Before the game officially released, we talked to design director Virgil Watkins about how players were reacting. He said the response was far greater than he or anyone else at Embark had anticipated.

He described the experience as thrilling, scary, and ultimately rewarding. He believes it all began with Tech Test 2, and the positive reaction was far beyond anything they anticipated. While they were pleased with the test itself, they hadn’t expected it to reach such a wide audience.

Things escalated quickly after that, and the Server Slam event really solidified that impact for many people.

The huge surge in attention naturally created more pressure, but it also motivated the developers.

There’s a lot of anticipation for what we’ve created, and we’re hoping to deliver on those expectations. We really want people to continue believing in our vision and what we’re trying to achieve. Ultimately, we’re eager to see if our work connects with players and resonates with them.

I asked Virgil about the game’s world. It’s a different take on the post-apocalypse: instead of threats falling from the sky, people have been driven underground by something in the sky called the ARC.

The game’s evolved quite a bit. Originally, it was focused on players versus environment – PvE – and established core ideas like machines descending from the sky and the need for players to take cover. We kept those original enemy designs and story elements, which led us to make some creative adjustments to the gameplay.

He then describes how the game’s environment affects how you play: “Most extraction games let you escape by either vanishing at a specific location or by flying away in a helicopter.”

Because stories rarely feature people flying anymore, we’ve started imagining worlds hidden beneath the surface. This meant creating believable ways for characters to go underground instead of up into the sky, which has been a really interesting puzzle for us as designers.

ARC Raiders stands out from other extraction shooters with both its setting and its inclusion of a narrative storyline.

Quests involve players searching for specific items and places within a level, which then unlocks progress in a different level, and helps to reveal the game’s story.

Virgil points out that while quests often just deliver information and story details, it’s much more engaging when players uncover those things on their own. This creates a stronger sense of discovery, letting players connect the pieces of the world and the story themselves.

I believe players will be really drawn in if they discover things themselves, instead of having everything handed to them.

This central idea has been a feature of the game since its beginning, carried over from its earlier player-versus-environment format, a time Virgil remembers with both fondness and regret.

The game had some truly incredible moments, unlike anything I’ve played before. However, those moments weren’t consistent. You might have one fantastic session, but then nine that were just disappointing.

You could spend 45 minutes running across an empty desert without finding any enemies or loot. Then, you’d discover someone else had already defeated the big robot.

I always wondered if the original game was going to turn into a looter shooter, but apparently, it never even got close! There were no items to collect, no loot drops – nothing like that. What they did have, the really good stuff – the smart AI, the amazing environments, how the characters moved, and the overall style – that’s what they brought over to this new game. But honestly, that’s all it was – taking those core elements and building from there.

We weren’t able to find a way to make that game free-to-play and still keep players engaged and coming back for more.

While many extraction shooters exist, ARC Raiders has stood out and achieved success where others haven’t. Embark Studios’ Virgil remembers the team feeling apprehensive when they decided to focus on this type of game.

When we decided to shift away from player-versus-environment gameplay, there weren’t many other games exploring similar ideas. We thought we could try to get a foothold in the market. However, as time went on, many games attempted to enter the space with mixed results, and even some established games added similar features as side content.

We received valuable feedback on what we tried, including what succeeded and what didn’t. It’s natural to feel a bit anxious when reviewing those results.

We haven’t seen a huge public reaction yet, but we’re confident in the unique style and gameplay experience we’ve created. It seems like people are responding positively to what makes our game different, which is encouraging.

I quickly asked Virgil how ARC Raiders compares to The Finals, Embark’s other ongoing game. He assured me that fans of The Finals don’t need to worry – development will continue to prioritize that game.

There’s no need to worry. These are distinct teams, and while we do have some people working on both, their responsibilities are already split between the two projects. I don’t foresee any issues or conflicts as a result.

We’ve intentionally kept the two projects distinct, with each having its own team. We only share resources or staff on a very limited basis, usually for quick, specific tasks – like asking someone to help complete a particular item.

As a fan, it’s really cool to hear how games are made these days! Apparently, ARC Raiders and The Finals have a lot in common under the hood. The developer, Virgil, explained they’re both built using the same version of Unreal Engine 5, which means they can easily share tools and techniques with each other. It’s like they’re helping each other out to make the best possible games!

He explains that ARC Raiders is so well-optimized thanks to a dedicated team working on its visuals.

Our game performance team deserves full credit for the excellent work they do. We’re also fortunate to have experienced and skilled developers who proactively consider performance impacts – like CPU and GPU load – as we build the game.

By now, most players thinking about ARC Raiders have likely heard enough from others to get a good idea of what the game offers, but Virgil makes one final attempt to convince anyone who’s still unsure.

Honestly, making the game easy to get into was a huge goal for us. We’ve really focused on building in a lot of support systems, especially for players who might be intimidated by extraction or PvP games. We want everyone to feel like they can jump in, have fun, and have enough tools to help them keep learning and improving. We don’t want anyone feeling overwhelmed and giving up right away!

I really encourage everyone to try it out. If it doesn’t click, that’s perfectly okay! But I hope people will give it a chance and see if we’ve created a welcoming experience with interesting stories, gameplay, and unexpected moments. Maybe it will even change how they think about this kind of game or game mode.

ARC Raiders is out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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2025-11-07 17:06