ARC Raiders Design Lead Admits Spawning Late into a Session is “Not Great”

by

In the PvPvE extraction shooter ARC Raiders, joining a match can be unpredictable – you might start a new session or jump into one that’s already well underway with only 20 minutes remaining. While some players might find joining a late-stage match frustrating due to limited loot, the game’s design lead, Virgil Watkins, argues that it actually gives those players an advantage. He explained to GamesRadar that late joiners can find leftover loot and remnants from previous battles, giving them a boost.

Watkins admitted they understand some users start a trial, realize they don’t have enough time to complete it, and then abandon the process, which he acknowledged isn’t ideal.

We’ve noticed an interesting trend with players joining sessions later on. While some believe they miss out on the best loot, those who join late actually tend to gain more advantages. As a session progresses, it naturally becomes less chaotic, allowing latecomers to easily find leftover resources, tackle tougher enemies, and access valuable areas more easily than players who were there from the start. It’s been fascinating to observe this dynamic.

Watkins explained that the game was deliberately designed this way to prevent sessions from being completely empty. He also stated that the way loot is distributed in ARC Raiders means players will always have something to do, no matter when they join a session.

Watkins shared that the positive reception to ARC Raiders has inspired Embark Studios to aim higher with the game’s development. He also mentioned the studio’s desire to transform Speranza, currently a basic menu screen with visuals, into a fully explorable and interactive home base for players.

“I mean, we’ve 100% discussed it,” he said. “I think it was like the first question asked when we started building the front end of the game, you know, ‘what would that experience be like?’ It always came down to time and scope for us […] We can build a menu, and the menu will do its job. And, you know, all the extra time involved in making a hub wasn’t worth it, really, or we traded other features for it.”

I really like the idea of a central, walkable area – it feels great aesthetically. However, I want to make sure accessing menus and items remains fast and easy. Currently, it can involve running between different locations, like Celeste and the raider’s room, and realizing you’ve forgotten something at Shani’s. While that back-and-forth could add to the immersive experience, we’re still figuring out if and when to implement this change. The team is definitely interested, but we want to make sure the timing is right.

Read More

2026-01-21 15:41