In ARC Raiders there are many NPCs, but none is as popular as the rooster Scrappy. He helps the Raiders and provides them with important materials, but did you know that he, as you know him, wouldn’t actually exist?
Who is Scrappy? In ARC Raiders, many know Scrappy as the wonder chicken that provides free basic materials after every expedition. With upgrades, he can even collect more. Even though he fits perfectly into Speranza, the developers of the shooter actually had a different idea for Scrappy.
This NPC was not supposed to be a chicken at all, but due to a joke, the studio decided to change course and implement the rooster firmly in the game.
Scrappy hatched from an Easter egg
What was Scrappy supposed to look like? Johan, a 3D artist from Embark, reached out to the community with a small personal post and explained how Scrappy came to be. It all started when Johan wanted to attend a meeting with his colleagues. Suddenly, in the middle of the Zoom meeting, a group of chickens stormed Johan’s room. Of course, they stole the attention of the group and claimed the meeting for themselves.
One of these roosters was the chicken Hȧkan, who was one of Johan’s favorites. He is not, like ordinary roosters, aggressive or shy, but friendly and cuddly. Moreover, he is blind in one eye, which is why he often steps into his food or stumbles over his feet.
At some point, Johan decided to scan Hȧkan and include him as an Easter egg in an early version of ARC Raiders – he then liked to stroll through the lobby of ARC Raiders.
Later, the team faced a problem regarding the appearance of an NPC. It was about Scrappy’s look. Various ideas were discussed in a meeting by the team.
At first, it was supposed to be a robot, then a cat, then a robot cat. The problem, however, was time. The team had no opportunity to create an NPC model in time. Their meeting paused until a developer asked, “Don’t we have a rooster?”.
Hȧkan thus became a placeholder that was to be replaced later, but the fans and the team had grown so attached to him that he is now an active member of Speranza.
Who would have thought that a little fun by a developer would have such a huge impact on an important feature in ARC Raiders? Besides Scrappy, there are also interesting stories from the community in the shooter, revolving around players who are least tolerated – cheaters: Player caught cheating in ARC Raiders because he streamed live on Twitch
