Former DICE lead says he'll play Battlefield 6 until his new extraction shooter comes out: "And then I will play Arc Raiders instead"

Arc Raiders is finally just days away from its big release following multiple delays over the last few years, but Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund is probably busy playing another new shooter until his own launches – and it's none other than Battlefield 6.

Speaking during a recent interview with Edge, Söderlund reveals as much, first saying that he's well aware Arc Raiders is coming out between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – two "competitors" within the shooter sphere. "It is what it is," says the studio head, who previously served as CEO and vice president of DICE… the very same DICE leading the Battlefield series' development at EA, where Söderlund worked until 2018.

"We wanted the game out for that Christmas period – we felt like that was good [timing]," he continues, explaining Embark's choice for the Arc Raiders launch. "We have been working on the game for such a long time, and at some point, it needs to come out." In the grand scheme of things, the extraction shooter would ultimately be competing with other games regardless: "If it's not [competing with] Battlefield, it's Call of Duty, or something else."

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He can't ignore the timing altogether, though. "It is odd," admits Söderlund. "I mean, we built Battlefield! But honestly, when I saw Battlefield 6 and what the team has done with it, I know how much time and energy have gone into it." The former Battlefield lead loves the look of the new FPS from DICE, too. "I think it looks really good, and I'm very happy it does look good," he states. "It's an IP and a game that deserves to be great."

Söderlund has a desire to give it a go himself as well – at least, until Arc Raiders comes out, that is. "I want to play it," exclaims the CEO. "And I will play it – until the day we release Arc Raiders. And then I will play Arc Raiders instead." That leaves him with exactly… let's see, nine days now until Arc Raiders launches on October 30. Just enough time to experience what another one of the most exciting new games of 2025 has to offer.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.