Arc Raiders lead: Launching between Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 is “insanity” — “this is the start of a long journey” and “it needs to start somewhere”

So how will Embark keep players engaged? Söderlund says it starts with ambition and avoiding complacency. “We can’t assume we can build something that makes an impact without real innovation,” he explains. “We need to offer a compelling reason for players to give us their attention. If we do that, they might stick around — but to pull players away from what they’re already playing, we must give them a clear attraction.”

He admits he wasn’t always confident Arc Raiders would find its audience. “A few years ago I worried whether Arc Raiders would find its market. When we ran the technical test earlier in the spring, we were overwhelmed by how many people took part. We tried to promote it, but it really spread organically — it was humbling.”

Söderlund finishes by praising the team’s work: “It’s proof of what the studio has built — something technically sophisticated yet approachable. Easy to pick up, with meaningful depth beneath the surface.”

It will be revealing to see how Arc Raiders performs when it launches amid juggernauts like Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7 — I’ll be watching closely when it arrives on October 30.

Arc Raiders developers urge players not to worry about gear-score matchmaking — the priority is keeping solos and squads separate.