Hollywood Interest Grows Around Arc Raiders Movie Adaptation: "I can't tell you how many companies have reached out to us," devs says

The Arc Raiders movie has drawn sustained attention from film and television studios, according to Embark Studios founder Patrick Söderlund, who says approaches have been frequent and ongoing. The comments came during a recent appearance on GamesBeat’s YouTube channel, where Söderlund discussed the studio’s position on adapting its multiplayer shooter for the screen.

“I can’t tell you how many companies have reached out to us wanting to make a TV series a movie out of this,” — Patrick Söderlund

Arc Raiders launched into a market already crowded with adaptation announcements, as producers continue to mine popular games for screen projects. Some, like Amazon’s long-discussed Toejam and Earl film or a Vampire Survivors series, remain unrealized. Others, including The Last of Us and Fallout, have set a high bar for execution. Söderlund acknowledged the opportunity but stressed restraint.

When asked whether he was tempted to move forward, Söderlund said an adaptation could be “fun,” but only under specific conditions.

“It needs to be done in the right way,” he said.

“I hope that we will do that.”

He added that Arc Raiders, as a property, translates well beyond games.

“The IP fits quite well with something like that.”

No partners or formats were confirmed, and Embark has not announced any formal development.

The discussion followed a period of commercial momentum for Arc Raiders. Analyst estimates place sales above 12 million copies, with revenue exceeding $350 million. The game ranked among Steam’s best sellers during the recent holiday period, helped by a timed discount and steady word-of-mouth. That performance has increased the value of the franchise at a time when adaptation deals are often driven by visibility rather than longevity.

Embark has not committed to a deal, and Söderlund offered no timeline. The interest is there, but the studio appears content to wait, measuring each proposal against a standard shaped by recent successes and failures in game adaptations.

Also in this interview, Söderlund addressed Embark’s earlier decision to abandon a free-to-play structure in favor of a paid release. Arc Raiders shifted to a $40 price point in 2024, mirroring the approach used by Helldivers 2. Embark cited Arrowhead’s decision to launch Helldivers 2 as a paid title rather than a service-based free-to-play product as a key influence. The move was framed internally as a way to align player expectations with long-term support without relying on aggressive monetization. That change preceded Arc Raiders’ strongest sales period and reshaped how the studio evaluated future projects.

Release timing also surfaced as a strategic issue. Söderlund noted that Arc Raiders entered the market during a year packed with major launches across genres, but the studio’s primary concern was avoiding a direct clash with GTA 6. From early planning stages, Arc Raiders was positioned to steer clear of Rockstar’s release window, which Embark viewed as the most disruptive external factor rather than competition from other shooters. That assessment influenced internal scheduling discussions as the calendar for the year took shape and ultimately guided the game’s final launch timing.