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Arc Raiders was revealed in 2021 as a free-to-play, third-person co-op shooter from the former Battlefield and Battlefront folks at new studio Embark. After multiple delays it has now evolved into a full-fat, premium model extraction shooter blending PvPvE and eyeing a 2025 release date.
Once positioned as Embark's debut title, Arc Raiders is now the game that will follow The Finals, a free-to-play PvP shooter that was praised for fast gunplay and detailed level destruction following its 2023 release. Embark says it's coming to PC (Steam, Epic, and streaming via Nvidia GeForce Now), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S next year, with the first tech test coming to Steam on October 24 - 27 this year.
It's nice to have a new release window at long last, and the expansion into a more extraction shooter-standard mix of PvP and (three-player) co-op play may intrigue fans of games like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown 1896. But the headliner here is arguably the jump to a premium model, with Arc Raiders echoing the likes of Helldivers 2 and Concord by jumping right over free-to-play.
Embark discussed this decision at a presentation attended by GamesRadar+. Executive producer Aleksander Grondal reasoned that "different business models are suitable for different types of games," and free-to-play didn't feel right for Arc Raiders.
"For the game we're building, we looked at that game and we felt that it became clear to us that it operates much better in a premium model than a free-to-play model," he said. "It's a better game for it. This is not just a pure business decision. It's also something that the developers on our team have been telling us. They feel like it's more of that type of game. That's one part of it. The other part is that free-to-play games have to strike a careful balance between providing engaging content and encouraging players to make purchases. For Arc Raiders, this shift will allow us to focus more on the engagement and fun and the impact and choices with regards to how the game evolves over time. We can optimize differently in this game and give out more rewards, as an example of how it progresses.
"Our decision with regards to Arc Raiders specifically doesn't reflect anything on what our other games are up to. We are trying to do what's best for the game and for the players, to make these decisions setting ourselves up to succeed and also create the most engaging game for our players. Some games are much better in the free-to-play model. We believe Arc Raiders is better in the premium model. That doesn't mean one is worse or better than the other, that's not what we're saying."
The Finals obviously found great success within the free-to-play model, which makes Embark's choice here even more of a surprise. Grondal said "we're aiming for a mid-tier price point," and a press release specified $40, again mirroring Helldivers 2 and Concord. "We're aiming for a robust live service for the game after release, with regular fixes and updates and free content for players to experience in a universe that grows and evolves over time," he added.
There's a tiny bit of gray goo to Arc Raider's machine-ridden apocalypse. Here's the official blurb on the setup: "You enlist as a Raider, fighting for your own survival and that of your neighborhood in the underground colony — scavenging and hunting for resources that must be extracted back safely from the surface. Standing in your way are ARC machines – a mysterious, deadly foe – as well as other players – Raiders – who are also competing for loot and their own survival."
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