An otherwise tiny Arc Raiders update released today has made what seems like a sizable change to the game's matchmaking system, with developer Embark leaning even further into its player behavior-driven algorithm.
Store update 1.38.0 introduces a customary outfit color swap, but the real meat of the patch is in Embark's newest "matchmaking optimization."
"We've heard your feedback on matchmaking," the studio says. "It works well most of the time, but there is room for improvement — especially during low-population hours, in certain regions, or in specific map conditions. We're working to improve those cases."
Going forward, Embark will be "testing adjustments" that hopefully improve the average match quality. Longer queue times are a natural, expected consequence: "The algorithm may take a little longer to find a match, since it's now working harder to find you a better one."
With these matchmaking changes, Embark says players should "run into squads that match your playstyle and squad size even more consistently, making for more fair and enjoyable raids."
This reads as: friendly raiders should encounter more friendlies, PvP fiends will more reliably hear the song of their people (constant gunfire and raider flares), and duos should face more duos and fewer trios.
Earlier this month, Arc Raiders made another hotly requested change to matchmaking: separating the solo, duo, and trio algorithms to let you cut up with your friends without putting your character in bloodthirsty solo lobbies.
Population dips are more relevant than ever with Arc Raiders following the inescapable population decay of live service games. Despite steady decline, SteamDB shows it is impressively still in the top 12 for daily active users on Steam (as ever, just one platform, but the one with the clearest player data available). But with Arc Raiders' next big update set for October and smaller tweaks in the interim having little lasting impact, more and more players have proven that they've had their fill of the Arc Raiders of today and are content to set it aside and wait for whatever moves the needle next.
The casual-friendly approach that got Embark those huge, unsustainable launch numbers seems to have limited Arc Raiders' long-term appeal, with little to grind for long-term and Expedition soft-resets growing repetitive. But, speaking as someone who only got tired of the game after around 350 enjoyable hours, I still think a big enough update could bring many lapsed players right back.
