All articles tagged with #embark studios
ARC Raiders is adding Denuvo Anti-Cheat in patch 1.29.0, rolling out May 19 to a limited player pool to curb cheating, with the developers stating that DRM will not be used and performance impact will be minimal. The update comes as the player base declines and the next major update has been delayed to October, with other patch notes including Rascal Grenade Launcher changes and durability adjustments.
Embark Studios says ARC Raiders will move to two major updates a year, starting with October’s Frozen Trail—bringing the largest map yet, a new ARC operation, and redesigned progression. A late-game trader and expanded Expedition are also on the way, while a dedicated live-service team will handle regular updates, balance tweaks, bug fixes, store updates, and events. The company stresses this is a measured pivot toward a longer-term, expanding experience and confirms the game isn’t winding down.
Arc Raiders will shift from a monthly content cadence to a semi-annual update schedule, with Embark Studios delivering bigger, more impactful patches about every six months. The next major update, Frozen Trail, is planned for October and promises a huge new map, new enemies, expanded endgame progression, more story quests, an improved skill tree, and new weapons and cosmetics. Between major updates, the team will continue bug fixes, QoL improvements, events, and balancing.
Arc Raiders' 1.26.0 Riven Tides update adds a new western Rust Belt map, introduces the Rocketeer enemy, and brings fall‑mitigation items (Crash Mat, Powered Descender), plus new features like Beachcombing, Last Resort, and Avian Alarm, along with weapon-durability balance tweaks. It also patches out an easier Death from Above method (standing on the Rocketeer’s remains after killing it), though other methods may still unlock the achievement.
Embark Studios is changing Arc Raiders Expeditions so Skill Points are earned by dealing damage during the five‑day window (April 28–May 4) rather than by stash value. To earn points, players must deal damage with any weapon or gadget to any target (not the practice range); five points are available per expedition. A catch‑up option still uses stash value (300,000 coins/stash per point) for missed points. Players must complete their Caravan, sign up during the window, and depart when it opens. The change aims to reduce grinding and encourage loot usage across the 5‑day window.
ARC Raiders’ Riven Tides update, due at the end of April, drip-feeds Panorama Azzurro—a crumbling coastal hotel—along with a new ARC enemy, Raider Deck, and fresh quests, marking the game’s first major map addition in five months and signaling a shift toward ocean-side combat.
Arc Raiders now features a live Map Conditions tracker on its site, showing current and upcoming map states and allowing filters by map (Buried City, Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, Stella Montis, The Blue Gate) and condition. The tool, accessible via About > map conditions, offers a handy planning aid for players, a welcome addition after the game's launch.
Embark Studios has mutually parted ways with co-founder and CCO Rob Runesson after sexual misconduct allegations. An external investigation found the claims unsubstantiated, but the company said the situation was unsustainable and decided to part ways. The allegations reportedly involved a female streamer of The Finals, who described uncomfortable requests for sexual conversations and favors.
Arc Raiders’ developer Embark Studios re-recorded some AI-generated voice lines with professional actors after launch, saying real voices provide higher quality. The studio paid actors to license their voices for text-to-speech use and replaced several lines, though not all AI lines were scrapped. In response to feedback, the team plans to keep using actors for updates while still employing AI for non-essential lines.
Embark Studios says Arc Raiders has shifted away from AI-generated voice lines, with many lines now recorded by real actors and paid for booth time; the studio uses AI mainly as a production tool to test lines before recording and still licenses or uses AI for non-essential lines like certain location pings. The move is intended to improve immersion and reassure players about actor involvement, though some AI usage remains.
Embark Studios says it carefully validated the Arc Raiders duplication glitch before acting to ensure fairness and accuracy, issuing warnings for low-severity cases and removing exploit gains, with suspensions possible for severe abuse; the fix follows the game's patch, as Arc Raiders has reached about 14 million copies sold and six million players online weekly.
Embark Studios has completed a review of Arc Raiders exploits, deploying patches and outlining penalties for offenders: warnings for low-severity cases, deletion of coins gained through glitches, and suspensions for severe violations, as it continues investigations into how the exploits occurred and how to prevent them, ahead of the Shrouded Sky content update, and urging players to report findings on the official Discord to help restore balance.
Embark Studios is launching a Shared Watch Event in ARC Raiders from February 10–24 to nudge players toward cooperation by rewarding team play. Players earn Merits via XP from damaging ARC enemies to unlock rewards, Raider Tokens, and progress toward the cosmetic set The Slugger. The event aims to make collaboration feel rewarding rather than mandatory, with patch notes expected to detail the event's systems. ARC Raiders supports PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with cross-play.
Arc Raiders’ developer Embark Studios says it has aggressively targeted cheaters since launch, banning tens of thousands of players so far and warns that cheats in large multiplayer games typically run from 0.1% to 1%. The team aims to ban only those who deserve it, pursue fair, careful enforcement, and quickly remedy mistakes; it also pledged to compensate players who lose items due to unfair play and losecheaters, reinforcing its commitment to a fair competitive experience.
Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund addressed backlash to ARC Raiders’ roadmap, saying the team will continue to update the game with detailed patch notes and transparency, even as development schedules are kept private. He argued ongoing content and a $40 price tag justify the approach, noting new maps and features are in the works and that updates will roll out as they are ready, while inviting player feedback via Discord and promising further roadmap details from Insider Gaming.