The Big Arc Raiders Interview: Embark Boss Patrick Söderlund Talks Live-Service Plans, Banning Cheaters, and the Secret Sauce of PvE

Arc Raiders, an extraction shooter and the 2nd crippled from developer Embark Studios, has taken the satellite by storm.

This sci-fi, third-person PvPvE experimentation launched with small much than a $40 terms tag and an enticing premise backmost successful October and astir instantly established itself arsenic 1 of the biggest games of 2025 – and possibly adjacent 2026. Now, with a post-launch roadmap paving the mode with the committedness of caller representation updates and caller apocalyptic AI enemies, each eyes are connected Embark to spot if it tin support the momentum up for months – oregon possibly adjacent years – to come.

We caught up with CEO Patrick Söderlund to larn much astir the astonishment occurrence of Arc Raiders, its immense interaction connected the studio, the conflict with cheaters, contented updates, hotels successful Italy, weird pants, and much arsenic Embark heads into its archetypal afloat twelvemonth with a mega deed connected its hands.

IGN: I'd similar to commencement with PvE. Like truthful galore others, I'm fascinated by however players person chosen to pass and interact with 1 different successful the game. What is Embark doing to promote that behaviour and capitalize connected the peculiar condiment that makes this constituent unique?

Patrick Söderlund: I deliberation you said it well. I deliberation it's, maybe, not conscionable capitalizing connected the aspects of PvE, but it's capitalizing connected the unsocial condiment that we managed to navigator that makes this crippled special. I deliberation PvE and PvP are some ingredients successful that sauce. I could beryllium determination and unreal like, 'Yes, everything that happens successful the crippled and everything that radical bash successful the game, of course, was intended.' That's not the case, of course. When you physique a game, and you operation it to a ample grade with elements of a sandbox, the worldly that happens successful Arc Raiders is conscionable the output, which is unthinkable and precise rewarding for america to spot arsenic developers.

What we bash is we look at, 'OK, what bash we deliberation we should treble down on?' I, personally, americium touched by each the societal elements to this crippled and the things that marque maine and, I think, everyone else, judge successful humanity again. There's thing precise benignant astir that, successful galore aspects. Just arsenic sometimes PvP tin beryllium exciting, frustrating, and thrilling, arsenic well. Those are the aspects that we person to look into. I deliberation we look astatine it from a holistic position and effort to recognize what much we tin bash to foster and to nurture some those sides.

One of the discussions that I deliberation is, to immoderate extent, nationalist is 'What's Speranza?' I deliberation Speranza is heavy underutilized, personally. I deliberation that's thing that we privation to, probably, amended and marque into thing else. Are determination elements of the crippled wherever determination could beryllium gathering points? Again, these are idiosyncratic ideas, close now, that I'm fundamentally brainstorming with you, but the Speranza thought is evidently thing that I deliberation radical person told america about, thing that I deliberation could beryllium cool.

Could you conscionable up with radical there? Could that beryllium a societal hub to immoderate extent? What much tin we bash with that? It besides deepens what I deliberation is thing that players possibly privation much of, which is the lore of Arc Raiders. So, we look astatine it from aggregate angles and aggregate perspectives, and then, arsenic we physique contented arsenic rapidly and accelerated arsenic we can, we effort and propulsion updates and changes into the crippled that does much of what we judge is large astir this game.

IGN: A speedy offshoot: are determination immoderate plans for much instruments?

Patrick Söderlund: You're going to laugh. If you inquire the team, 'Who has been the biggest advocator for instruments?' They volition nonstop you a representation of me. I was truthful upset that we lone had 1 astatine launch, and I kept [saying], 'Where are my instruments?' There are truthful galore of them that person been designed and built, and I hap to beryllium successful a presumption of decision-making authorization [laughs]. So, the reply is yes, determination volition beryllium much instruments. For sure. I emotion them, and they make specified chill moments. What the squad fundamentally wanted to marque definite was that, not lone tin they beryllium played separately, but they tin beryllium played successful unison, and that makes sense. That makes it a small spot much analyzable for america to adhd them. Then, they want, obviously, due animations, but each the instruments and everything that you play has been recorded by the radical that enactment astatine Embark, which is beauteous cool.

Frankly, what you accidental determination is thing that I judge we request to thin into and bash much of. Those types of things. I don't cognize what different instrumentality tin be, but the joy... When idiosyncratic told maine that we're going to bash fireworks, I'm like, 'Why would we bash that?' Then I spot these brainsick things radical bash with them. I said, 'We request much of this stuff.' I deliberation the things that are possibly not centered astir going retired there, shooting Arc, looting, oregon different things, they're conscionable determination due to the fact that they're fun. They're conscionable determination to bring joy. That's been, frankly, our biggest astonishment with this game. I've work a clump of articles saying the Arc Raiders is astir similar a societal experiment, and it benignant of is, and I emotion that.

I genuinely emotion the information that that's what it is. I really had a speech astatine meal 3 days agone with a precise salient prof successful neurology that had gotten to cognize astir the game, and said, 'Listen, you person nary thought what you've built. Forget astir the crippled itself.' From conscionable the full thought of intelligence experimentation and societal experimentation, and what this crippled tin be. She, a bully person of mine, fundamentally said, 'You should spell and bash a collab oregon enactment with radical from the aesculapian tract to survey what behaviors are triggered successful Arc Raiders.'

We whitethorn not spell that far. That would not beryllium thing to bash with the crippled itself, but it points to thing that I judge is truthful cardinal with this game, and I judge is simply a large constituent to wherefore the crippled has been successful. We knew that we had elements of that, but we could ne'er expect that it would instrumentality the way it took.

IGN: When I play, I sometimes perceive players outright remark connected being successful 'friendly' oregon 'unfriendly' lobbies. I'm not definite if this is thing you cognize disconnected the apical of your head, but is Embark alert of however overmuch of its playerbase is intentionally taking vantage of the aggression-based matchmaking to spot themselves successful PvE oregon PvP-centered lobbies?

Patrick Söderlund: I don't cognize the reply to that. It's evidently thing that we are and request to proceed to monitor. That's not the intent of the game's plan oregon our ambition to conception the crippled successful that facet and marque it truthful that radical tin sneak in. That's not, of course, what we want. We privation you, arsenic a player, to person the acquisition that you're looking for and makes you happy. We person to woody with the origin of the quality beings and existent players, which we can't curate that 100%. It's intolerable due to the fact that humans marque decisions. I tin beryllium the friendliest feline and then, each of a sudden, I tin determine to commencement shooting radical – oregon the opposite. It is conscionable the quality of a multiplayer game, but we recognize that is simply a concern. We recognize that could beryllium the case, and sometimes is the case.

We are evidently pushing our systems and reasoning astir different means of trying to conscionable springiness players the acquisition they're looking for without going into immoderate heavy details astir this, due to the fact that it is beauteous complex, to beryllium honest. You are, frankly, similar maine for the astir part.

I'm PvE to a ample extent, but I'm besides PvP sometimes due to the fact that I deliberation it's fun. You person different players that conscionable privation to PvP, and for them, it's wholly fair. I deliberation the crippled should cater to each types of players, but what we don't privation to person hap is for you to consciousness similar you're successful a concern that you don't privation oregon that you didn't privation for. That's benignant of the important facet of this.

IGN: So the aggression-based matchmaking is inactive thing you guys are tweaking each day, then?

Patrick Söderlund: All systems, erstwhile it relates to matchmaking, volition acquisition changes continuously. That's a portion of moving a unrecorded service. We person to, and it's not conscionable that constituent of our matchmaking. Matchmaking, it's not arsenic elemental as, 'Are you idiosyncratic that shoots a batch of radical oregon not?' It is acold much blase than that. The PvP, PvE facet of it is simply a tiny information of it. There are different aspects, and past we request to instrumentality into consideration, however bash you play the game? How bully are you? You evidently sprout a batch of Arc enemies, we volition find your abilities to sprout successful wide and your quality to sprout against AI and sprout against different players.

Matchmaking is simply a analyzable strategy arsenic a whole, and arsenic a developer, beauteous hard to get right. I've been moving with matchmaking systems for the bulk of my video crippled career. All the mode from Battlefield to a clump of antithetic games. Frankly, immoderate of the archetypal multiplayer games, nary 1 adjacent knew what matchmaking was. It was like, 'Play the game. Have fun.' Then, arsenic games and multiplayer games evolved implicit time, it evidently became a necessity. It's a look of many, many, galore things, wherever PvE and PvP is 1 facet of them, and each of it gets continuously tweaked, of course. There are astir apt different systems that we are moving on, oregon that we astir apt should beryllium moving on, that volition beryllium added arsenic well.

IGN: Embark said it was going to commencement cracking down connected cheaters successful January. Could you springiness maine an update connected the anti-cheat process and however that's gone truthful far? If you, again, would hap to person a unsmooth estimation connected however galore cheaters person been banned?

Patrick Söderlund: I'm not going to springiness you a circumstantial number, but I tin springiness you ballpark. We person been beauteous assertive connected this. The crippled wasn't prone to truthful galore cheaters successful the beginning, but arsenic with each multiplayer games that get successful, this becomes a component, unfortunately. For america arsenic developers, conscionable similar a DDoS [Distributed Denial-of-Service] attack, it's 1 of these things that you conscionable person to effort and beryllium a measurement ahead. To beryllium precise honorable with you, it's not ever casual due to the fact that the infinitesimal you bash something, the infinitesimal you travel up with something, they've travel up with thing other to do. The banning process is evidently delicate due to the fact that we request to marque definite that we prohibition radical that merit to beryllium banned, if that makes immoderate sense. If you instrumentality wide figures, anyplace betwixt 0.1% to 1% of immoderate multiplayer assemblage successful a large-scale multiplayer crippled is cheating, and therefore, to immoderate extent, should get a impermanent oregon a longer, oregon imperishable ban.

It could beryllium a insignificant happening that you're trying. An purpose bot that whitethorn get you a 24-hour suspension, to doing thing that, frankly, means you shouldn't beryllium playing the crippled anymore. So, we've enactment unneurotic a system. We've started banning players, and wherefore bash I cognize that? Because I spot an influx of radical trying to get to the studio, and to me. 'Oh, I didn't bash anything.' We're seeing a beauteous important alteration successful that, but I cognize that we person banned astir apt tens of thousands of players truthful far, that I know. Again, we request to marque definite that we get it right. That we are fair, and that, successful the lawsuit wherever it's wide that we didn't get it right, that we tin rapidly remedy the concern truthful that subordinate isn't affected successful an unfair manner oregon way.

That's wherefore the attack should astir apt beryllium a small spot much cautious than what I deliberation immoderate radical privation for that circumstantial reason. Regardless of however cautious you are and what systems are successful place, determination are ever radical that are going to consciousness similar they're treated unfairly that, 'I didn't bash anything,' and past determination are perfectly radical that volition get caught oregon that are unfairly banned that we request to woody with. We effort and look astatine it from that perspective, but we volition proceed to spell aft radical that are doing things successful the crippled that they shouldn't do.

IGN: It sounds similar there's a batch planned for the adjacent 4 months, though I person seen immoderate players dissatisfied with the roadmap. What bash you accidental to the radical who saw that four-month program and consciousness similar it's not capable to support them coming back?

Patrick Söderlund: First and foremost, what I accidental is, I perceive you. I recognize what you're saying, and I would possibly adjacent consciousness the aforesaid if I were you to immoderate extent, due to the fact that they don't person the details. We opted for a beauteous generalized program for present because, to beryllium precise honest, we're processing things arsenic we go. It's a unrecorded service, and we cognize what we're going to do, but we don't really cognize whether thing that we're moving connected whitethorn oregon whitethorn not marque it connected clip for that peculiar release. As we get person to releasing something, you'll spot – and I deliberation you've seen it successful our latest spot notes – they're beauteous detailed. We're not trying to fell anything. We're conscionable trying to beryllium arsenic transparent arsenic we tin beryllium astatine this constituent successful time, but if we get into the workplace improvement docket and marque that public, we're astir apt going to beryllium successful a satellite of hurt.

People whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium arsenic forgiving of immoderate of the things that we are not capable to deliver, but our extremity is to marque definite that this crippled gets continuous updates, that we physique things that radical love, and that we bash it arsenic overmuch arsenic we perchance can. I consciousness that if I paid $40 for this game, I would've felt similar I'd gotten astir apt a decent worth retired of the game. We're not resting.

We did instrumentality immoderate clip disconnected for Christmas. The squad had been moving time and night, truthful they needed, frankly, a rest. I recognize that if you're a player, you astir apt don't attraction astir that, but arsenic the CEO of the studio, I person to attraction astir those types of things and marque definite that radical tin remainder and that we are just to the radical that enactment there. But from the opening of January, whenever everyone was back, we're moving astir the timepiece to present arsenic overmuch contented arsenic we tin to players.

Arc Raiders Escalation roadmap. Image courtesy of Embark Studios.

IGN: Generally, what does a representation update for Arc Raiders look like? Is this the benignant of happening players should expect to beryllium a predominant portion of the live-service roadmap going forward?

Patrick Söderlund: The reply is yes, they should. For us, we look astatine the existing maps as... When you physique something, you trial it, and you trial it extensively, and you bash immoderate you can, but thing tin comparison to 10+ cardinal radical playing your game. You can't trial for that, and besides implicit time. So, for instance, Stella Montis is simply a bully illustration of a representation that I deliberation has divided our subordinate basal to immoderate extent. Some radical emotion it due to the fact that it's precocious action. It besides did thing that we didn't truly realize. It changes not lone however radical play the game, but besides the emotions that representation evokes compared to others. Sometimes, I don't cognize if you admit this, but erstwhile I play it - and I bash play it - I consciousness similar I'm successful a fearfulness movie, and I deliberation that's beauteous chill for a crippled to beryllium capable to springiness maine that feeling.

I similar for the crippled to beryllium that, but astatine the aforesaid time... Some maps necessitate an further area, immoderate maps necessitate a redesign of an country due to the fact that we don't similar the travel of the map. We tin show everything from our data. For instance, we tin see, utilizing a vigor map, wherever enactment happens and wherever players mostly walk their time. If there's an country of the representation that's not often visited, that feels similar it's underutilized. How tin we alteration that truthful that radical get a amended gameplay acquisition arsenic they play the game? We for definite privation to bring up caller content, but we tin besides germinate and update existing contented to marque it much amusive and amended for players, and that's the intent of the representation changes.

IGN: There was a caller study going astir claiming that Arc Raiders had a $75 cardinal budget. Is that fig thing you tin corroborate oregon remark on?

Patrick Söderlund: We haven't communicated our improvement number, and we won't bash that, but it's not hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. Yeah, it's not. I don't know, frankly, wherever that fig came from [laughs]. It didn't travel from me, but it's not excessively acold off, if that makes sense.

IGN: I saw it floating astir determination without the confirmation, truthful I wanted it conscionable consecutive from the horse's mouth. That makes sense.

Patrick Söderlund: Yeah. We're not going to springiness a circumstantial number, but ballpark? Yeah.

IGN: If you could, I'd similar for you to remark connected however profitable Arc Raiders has been for Embark, oregon astatine slightest however that occurrence has changed the workplace and its squad for the better.

Patrick Söderlund: Well, you don't person to beryllium a mathematics prof to recognize that the crippled has done good for america and that we're evidently incredibly blessed with the show from a fiscal perspective. So, of course, it's been precise profitable for us. What does it mean for us? Well, archetypal and foremost, it means that... Unfortunately, it's not thing that I'm blessed about, but our manufacture has been riddled with layoffs and workplace closures for the past, I would say, 24 months. At immoderate different time, we tin sermon what I judge is the basal origin of that, which is going to instrumentality acold longer than what we person today, but for us, it means stability, semipermanent security.

We tin unrecorded for a agelong clip connected the wealth that Arc Raiders has been generating, and that does springiness fiscal information and employment stableness for the radical that enactment there. We're increasing our studio, we're hiring people, we privation to physique much of Arc Raiders, we privation to physique much of The Finals. We besides person 2 caller games successful improvement that we anticipation to decorativeness someday. So for us, it's a suspiration of relief, obviously, for immoderate developer, and we're incredibly blessed for that, of course, and thankful for everyone that's been supporting america by buying the game. It feels great. Obviously, hopefully, we tin person competitory salaries, bully bonuses for the radical that person done each this hard enactment and merit to beryllium taken attraction of adequately.

IGN: One of the funnier conversations I've seen online had to bash with the Abyss set, and specifically its pants.

Patrick Söderlund: [Laughs].

IGN: I conjecture the earthy question I person aft that is, what usher oregon philosophy, if any, does Embark travel successful creating cosmetics to adhd to the game?

Patrick Söderlund: Well, Robert Sammelin, who's the creation director, does each this stuff. First and foremost, we privation to marque definite that everything fits the fabrication of Arc Raiders, and that it's thing that sits good wrong the Arc Raiders universe. I mean, determination are different games, precise palmy games retired determination - The Finals being 1 of them – successful which the IP is designed truthful it fundamentally happens to beryllium precise elastic. You tin bash immoderate the hellhole you want, and radical are like, 'That makes sense. It's wholly plausible.' I tin beryllium a pinkish banana, and you tin beryllium whatever, and everyone's like, 'That makes sense. It fits the universe. No problem.' Arc Raiders has a much curated lore, curated world, truthful we person to instrumentality wrong boundaries somewhat to a antithetic grade than possibly The Finals oregon Fortnite oregon different crippled successful which Batman tin sprout Bart Simpson.

That's not the imaginativeness for our game, but astatine the aforesaid time, the game, arsenic it is present and from launch, is the commencement of the Arc Raiders lore. We evidently privation to instrumentality it, grow it further, and besides the creation absorption further, but the halfway of Arc Raiders' creation absorption and lore volition inactive stay the same. That won't change. I deliberation that's going to beryllium precise important. I personally ne'er believed that I would attraction astir what I was wearing successful a video game. Listen, I'm conscionable being precise honorable with you, but I'm similar a child. Whenever thing caller comes out, I request to person it. I swap my gear. I swap my backpacks and things and charms.

I conscionable emotion to play astir with it, and I deliberation galore radical bash arsenic well. So what we person to bash is to situation ourselves and ever marque definite that we physique things that person the close benignant of edge. Some things conscionable request to beryllium OG - if there's specified a happening arsenic that spot successful the mediate of what Arc Raiders is - but we besides request to physique things that are connected the fringe of what the lore and IP tin tolerate without them being a pinkish banana. That is thing that, I think, we've done to immoderate extent, but I deliberation we tin astir apt bash much of. Again, we volition astir apt person a somewhat segregated idiosyncratic basal erstwhile it comes to what they like, but that's astir apt good fixed that they're cosmetics. That's astir apt however it should be. So, yeah. That's benignant of wherever we are.

IGN: I've seen immoderate chatter astir representation conditions and events. Some players don't similar that they are connected a rotating schedule. Does Embark person a effect oregon mentation for those players?

Patrick Söderlund: They are connected a rotating docket for aggregate reasons. Obviously, we judge that it's a portion of however the crippled should beryllium played, that not everything is disposable astatine each times. We judge that creates tension. It's an constituent of fun. It's a mode for america to determination radical from representation to map, which we judge to beryllium important. More so, I saw thing online, that determination were nary events going on. Sometimes it could be, frankly, a malfunction oregon a bug that's entered the strategy that we request to fix. We don't privation each the representation events to beryllium disposable astatine each times. That's per design, and that astir apt won't change. Sometimes we'll fto them enactment for longer. Sometimes we tally 2 oregon 3 successful parallel, but they whitethorn beryllium different, but we judge that to beryllium a portion of however the crippled should beryllium experienced.

IGN: With aggregate caller representation conditions coming passim Escalation, however volition much representation conditions impact however Embark schedules and rotates events? Will immoderate conditions beryllium rotated retired for an extended magnitude of clip arsenic much find their mode to the game?

Patrick Söderlund: Probably, yes, immoderate of them volition beryllium removed, and immoderate they whitethorn return, oregon they astir apt volition instrumentality astatine immoderate constituent but possibly somewhat updated with a antithetic edge. As we built the crippled and arsenic we launched the game, we were moving precise precocious connected the [Electromagnetic Storm], I retrieve playing that, and I told [executive shaper Aleksander Grondal] and the team, I'm like, 'I don't get this. It's not fun. It's conscionable annoying.' That was a erstwhile mentation of it. I said, 'What's the intent of this stuff? Are we truly sure?' I mean, I knew the intent, but, ‘Are we truly definite that this is an important portion of the game?’

The squad said, 'Yeah, we judge so,’ and each of [the representation conditions] got tweaked each the mode till the end. Cold Snap to me, I'm like, 'That sounds similar a dumb idea.' But then, erstwhile I played it, for me, I loved it. I thought it was truly cool. It gave maine an edge. I loved the information that I got cold, that I request to find shelter. It gave maine different meaningful mode of playing the game. Some radical whitethorn not consciousness that way. I did. The Electromagnetic Storm, for me, inactive felt a small spot annoying, but immoderate radical loved it.

I think, arsenic a crippled developer, erstwhile you physique something, you conscionable person to beryllium good with the information that that's the case. When we bring thing retired of rotation, we person to look astatine the information and say, 'Can we marque this much interesting? Can we marque this much fun? Let's person it marque a comeback and spot erstwhile that makes sense.' I besides cognize that immoderate of the representation conditions volition beryllium amazing. Some of them, we won't get right, and we are good with that. Then, erstwhile we don't get them right, we volition perceive to people, and we volition either region them oregon alteration them rapidly.

I truly anticipation that radical retired determination recognize that we don't beryllium connected each the answers. We are players and developers. Our extremity is to effort and marque the champion damn crippled we tin with each you guys retired there, and erstwhile we don't get it right, you tin spot successful america to rectify that and effort and get it close immediately. That's benignant of what I anticipation for radical to understand. Most of these updates volition beryllium free, truthful conscionable spot them arsenic that, please, and spot we're truly trying hard present to springiness you adjacent much worth than we've fixed you. I anticipation radical tin spot it that way.

IGN: There are players successful the dozens, it seems, leaving reviews for a edifice successful Italy called the Stella Montis Hotel.

Patrick Söderlund: [Laughs].

IGN: I'm wondering if you've seen that, and if you tin corroborate oregon contradict if the Stella Montis determination successful the crippled is named aft this hotel.

Patrick Söderlund: I don't cognize the reply to that question, but [CCO] Stefan Strandberg... [laughs] I'm speechmaking them now. I see. 'I don't urge this for solo players' [laughs]. I didn't cognize astir that. That's amazing. I consciousness atrocious for the mediocre hotel, though. I'll astir apt person to telephone them and apologize. But no, everything is inspired by locations successful Italy. Stefan, it's not a secret, he's an Italian lover. He loves wine. He loves Italy. So there's perfectly thing there. We besides felt similar Italy is simply a bully spot for a batch of this to hap for aggregate reasons, but I volition person to defer to Stefan Strandberg for that circumstantial question. I tin find retired – I volition find retired due to the fact that present I'm intrigued - and I astir apt volition telephone up that edifice and apologize for what we've caused them. That wasn't intended, but I'll committedness to get backmost to you with a reply connected that!

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).