Arc Raiders players predictably tried to rig matchmaking by lying in post-match surveys, but Embark says those don't do a darn thing: "We get really weird graphs that don't match up with what we're seeing"

Arc Raiders screenshot of a helmet lying in sand — (Image credit: Embark Studios)

Embark Studios design director Virgil Watkins says the end of match survey in Arc Raiders won't affect future matchmaking like some players think.

Matchmaking is always a contentious thing in any online game, especially within the shooter community. And as such, there's always a section of players who want to figure out the fine details and optimize who they get paired with in their favor. This led to a rumor emerging that how you react in the post-game survey could effect the type of players you get paired up with in the future, but from the sounds of things it seems to be more a case of confirmation bias for anyone who did see a difference.

Speaking to PC Gamer, Watkins was asked about the end-of-game surveys and how much weight they have in the game's matchmaking, responding, "Zero factor." He explains, "Those are just to help us gauge how players felt about the round. They have no mechanical change on what happens to you. It is solely based on your actions in the round. Those just go to our data team and help us pair up like things that occurred in the server."

In fact, it sounds like the surveys overall haven't exactly been helpful to Embark, as Watkins adds, "that—and I understand why this sort of myth emerged—really messed with a lot of our PvP sentiment metrics." He explains the survey "was meant to gauge 'of the PvP that occurred to you. Was it good?' Not, 'do you even like PvP or not?' So then we get really weird graphs that don't match up with what we're seeing." So from the sounds of things, the only thing that actually effects your matchmaking in Arc Raiders is how you play, which is pretty standard.