“We Did Not Want To Be Close To Them,” Arc Raiders Dev Says About GTA 6

Arc Raiders entered the market during a period when major releases stacked tightly across genres, but its timing reflected a specific concern. From the outset, Arc Raiders was positioned to avoid a collision with Arc Raiders’ biggest external threat, GTA 6, rather than established military shooters. That calculation shaped its final release date and framed internal discussions at Embark Studios as the year’s schedule came into focus.

Arc Raiders arrived as the most accessible extraction shooter at a time when the genre remained defined by punishing systems and high-loss stakes. Embark’s approach leaned toward approachability and reduced friction, placing it apart from games that demand long sessions and harsh penalties. That positioning mattered as players weighed options amid a crowded slate that included Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Patrick Söderlund, Embark Studios’ CEO, said the studio’s initial concern centered on Rockstar’s release plans rather than its direct genre rivals. Speaking in an interview with GamesBeat, Söderlund described how the studio monitored announcements before locking its date.

“When we spoke about whether we should move the game, the first dialogue we had was obviously centred around GTA,” Söderlund said. “We did not want to be close to them. I don’t think anyone wanted to be close to them. And we were waiting for them to announce when they were releasing, and once that became clear, we then felt we could build a date.”

— Patrick Söderlund

Embark expected Battlefield and Call of Duty to land in familiar windows. Söderlund said the studio had a “reasonable hunch” about Battlefield 6’s timing and little uncertainty around Call of Duty’s annual schedule. Those releases were factored in but not treated as reasons to delay.

Scheduling Arc Raiders between those franchises was not accidental. Söderlund said the team viewed the timing as intentional once confidence in the game’s readiness solidified.

“As we started to see more of Battlefield 6, we thought that looked good; we didn’t see much of Call of Duty,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we felt that the game was ready to be launched.”

— Patrick Söderlund

That confidence was informed by internal testing and early performance indicators. Embark ran multiple technical tests and a final pre-launch event known as Server Slam. According to Söderlund, the data supported the belief that Arc Raiders could compete on its own terms, not by matching the scale of its rivals but by offering a distinct experience.

“We believed we had a game that was very strong,” he said. “We also believed that we could get to a place where we could be competitive in a different way. We, of course, didn’t think it was a Battlefield in that way, but that the game had enough uniqueness that it could stand on its own legs.”

— Patrick Söderlund

That uniqueness was reflected in Arc Raiders’ early player response. Within the first 30 minutes of release, the game attracted over 100,000 players, a figure that placed it among the strongest PC launches of the year. Player retention followed, with Arc Raiders briefly surpassing Battlefield 6’s concurrent player count on Steam during its opening period.

The design choices behind that response were evident. While extraction shooters often emphasize scarcity and permanent loss, Arc Raiders adopted a more forgiving structure. Loot density was higher, social interactions in lobbies were less hostile, and failure carried fewer lasting consequences. The result was a pace that encouraged experimentation rather than caution.

Embark’s leadership did not frame this as a compromise. Söderlund said the studio understood it was not building a traditional military shooter and did not aim to replicate that model. Instead, Arc Raiders was positioned as a long-term project, supported as long as engagement remained strong.

“Our ambition is to keep this game alive for the longest time,” Söderlund said, adding that continued development would depend on players continuing to find it enjoyable.

The broader release environment underscored the risk. The end of 2025 included titles such as Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2, alongside major shooters and live-service games. Studios launching during that window faced intense competition for attention and time. Arc Raiders’ ability to break through suggested that its timing and differentiation resonated with a segment of players looking for something less demanding.

Read also, the Arc Raiders roadmap now extends into early 2026, with Embark Studios confirming a sequence of updates that began in late 2025 and continues through mid-January. The current plan outlines short-term development rather than a full 2026 schedule, with the Cold Snap update running from December 16 to January 13 and setting expectations for continued additions beyond that window.