ARC Raiders Design Director Says Matchmaking is “Not Nearly as Binary as People Think”

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Embark Studios has been open about ARC Raiders matching players based on their aggressive behavior. However, in a recent PC Gamer interview, design director Virgil Watkins explained the system is more nuanced than people might assume. He also clarified that the studio doesn’t actually call it “aggression-based matchmaking.”

Watkins explained that the game’s lobby system isn’t as simple as people believe. It’s not a case of being labeled ‘friendly’ or ‘aggressive’ based on one action. Everyone is mixed together, and the idea that shooting even a single enemy immediately puts you in an aggressive lobby isn’t accurate. The system is more nuanced than that.

Okay, so a lot of us have been speculating about how the matchmaking works, but apparently, it’s not about getting penalized for one bad play or even looting bodies. According to the developers, the game actually looks at how you play over time to figure out who you should be matched with. It’s more about your overall behavior than just one mistake.

He explained that participating in player-versus-player combat isn’t caused by a single event, but rather happens over multiple rounds and interactions.

Watkins pointed out that while some players are enjoying lobbies without player-versus-player combat, the threat of PvP actually makes ARC Raiders more exciting. He also admitted that many players are simply having a good time in these safer environments.

We were really surprised by how many players enjoyed the social aspects of the game, and it’s definitely motivating us to add more opportunities for positive interactions. However, we also want to continue supporting players who prefer competitive PvP gameplay.

Regarding the positive atmosphere within the ARC Raiders community, Watkins explained that the developers didn’t intentionally try to foster that friendliness. Instead, the game itself was designed in a way that naturally encouraged players to be cooperative and supportive. He emphasized that the game’s mechanics focused on what motivates people.

Recently, ARC Raiders launched a special event where players can team up to defeat ARCs and earn bonus rewards. While player-versus-player combat is still available in this event, it won’t give you any extra benefits. This update also permanently added a new map condition called Cold Snap to the game.

The developers have publicly discussed improving the social features of ARC Raiders. CEO Patrick Söderlund has noted that the game’s central hub, called Speranza, isn’t currently being used to its full potential.

We’ve been discussing what ‘Speranza’ is and how to better use it in the game. I personally feel it’s currently not being used to its full potential, and we’re exploring ways to improve it. We’re brainstorming ideas about potential meeting points within the game that could utilize Speranza. This is all very preliminary, but we’ve heard feedback from players that Speranza has potential and could be a really cool addition.

You can play ARC Raiders on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. For a more in-depth look at the game, read our review of the initial release version.

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2026-02-19 15:11