ARC Raiders is a new loot shooter and was originally set to be released in 2022. However, the developers have now postponed the title to focus on another project. The reactions to this have been surprisingly understanding.
What kind of game is ARC Raiders? A new third-person loot shooter from the relatively unknown “Embark Studios.” The studio includes several former developers from DICE, the team behind Battlefield, and its head is Patrick Söderlund, formerly a big name at publisher EA.
With ARC Raiders, they aim to utilize this experience to develop a new AAA loot shooter with a free-to-play model. This means top-notch graphics at Destiny level and a focus on the current console generation PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, as well as PC.
However, after the announcement at “The Game Awards 2021” with a spectacular trailer, things went suspiciously quiet about the shooter that was supposed to be released in 2022.
It was one of the last major shooter hopes for this year, but like so many games, the news has come: ARC Raiders has been delayed, according to the Steam page, to 2023.
We will embed the announcement trailer here:
In ARC Raiders, Earth is attacked by an unknown force from space – ARC. They are deploying advanced machines to the planet’s surface, and you, as a player, must prevent the ARCs from overrunning the Earth. Of course, you call yourselves Raiders … ARC Raiders.
The trailer and the game’s marketing exude a charming retro look. This somewhat resembles the Netflix hit series “Stranger Things” – it feels like a Destiny in the 80s.
Similar to Destiny, you are very mobile. While flying is out of the question, you will still shoot across the battlefield quickly using grappling hooks and jump pads, reaching unprecedented heights and speeds.
So far, there is only the trailer embedded above for ARC Raiders: No information about the loot system or general gameplay details that would reveal anything about long-term gameplay motivation.
However, it is known that ARC Raiders is planned as a free-to-play shooter and will offer significant co-op elements. The regular team size is still unknown.
Why was the game delayed? Because of another game. Also a shooter, but first-person and with a hint of “Ready Player One.” The game doesn’t yet have a name and is only referred to as “Project Discovery.” We will embed a small teaser here:
Patrick Söderlund explained in a blog post that they are making much better progress with this second project than planned and they want to see “Project Discovery” as the first game from Embark Studios on the market (via medium.com).
As a small, new studio, they do not want to try to manage two large releases simultaneously. They have therefore decided to deepen the more complex of the two games – ARC Raiders – and work longer before its release.
However, there is still no release date for “Project Discovery,” and now one of the last AAA shooters that was supposed to be released this year, ARC Raiders, has been delayed. Meanwhile, only Overwatch 2 (10/04/22) and CoD: Modern Warfare 2 remain (10/28/22).
What are the reactions like? In fact, the reactions to the delay are very conciliatory. While some players are upset about it, generally very few are angry about the delay.
Since there has been little advertising for the title since the announcement, many players probably suspected that a delay was coming – if anyone even had the game on their radar. Here are a few user comments:
- BeardyDuck on Reddit: ‘No surprise, considering that there has been radio silence since the announcement – with info about the game and also on their Twitter.’ (via reddit.com)
- @Mr_Skyfish on Twitter: ‘I’m glad to see that you at #EmbarkStudios are taking the time to create a better product. Please don’t be another #Anthem and make sure there is enough to do in the endgame.’ (via twitter.com)
- @Linkinitouille on Twitter: ‘That was a safe bet after the game was not seen at the Summer Games Fest. Take your time. I’m curious to see what the creators of Battlefield have in store for us.’ (via twitter.com)
The players who had been keeping an eye on the loot shooter are not surprised by the delay. The developers are more likely to find support in their decision.
If you have your own opinion on ARC Raiders, leave a comment. If you want to discover other loot shooters, check this out: The 8 best loot shooters of 2022 – For PC, PS4, PS5, Switch and Xbox
