'The Game Isn't About Shooting Other Players' — Arc Raiders Dev Explains Why It Won't Add Additional PvP Mechanics Like Leaderboards

Amid the statement astir Arc Raiders players who absorption connected the PvP facet of the crippled and small else, the brag of Embark Studios has made the developer’s presumption clear: this is not a crippled astir sidesplitting different players, and it doesn’t privation to “foster” that benignant of gameplay.

Arc Raiders is simply a multiplayer extraction escapade successful which players scavenge the remnants of a devastated world, but the main threats are Arc’s machines and, arsenic Embark Studios puts it, “the unpredictable choices of chap survivors.”

Arc Raiders’ subordinate versus situation versus subordinate gameplay has resulted successful a fig of viral clips showing however affable encounters tin rapidly devolve into a combat to the last. Yes, you tin play solo oregon successful parties up to three, moving arsenic a squad to advancement done the game. However, different players are a changeless threat. This has sparked a vociferous statement wrong the assemblage astir the etiquette that has formed in-game, with a retired pro gamer going viral for relentlessly sidesplitting casual Arc Raiders players.

Meanwhile, Embark precocious confirmed that Arc Raiders does so diagnostic ‘aggression-based matchmaking.’ This means that if you’re large into PvP, you’ll beryllium matched up with players who are like-minded. Similarly, if you similar PvE, you’ll beryllium matchmade with players who thin to debar struggle with different players.

But according to Patrick Söderlund, CEO of Embark Studios, the developer won’t adhd a PvP leaderboard oregon different systems that beforehand PvP, due to the fact that that’s not what Arc Raiders is about.

In a caller interrogation / video playthrough of the crippled with Games Beat, Söderlund explained the studio’s position.

“We've had respective discussions astir Nemesis systems and each types of things,” helium said. “I don't cognize wherever the squad are connected them close now. I deliberation 1 of the beauties of this crippled is the information that we don't person those leaderboards and it's not competitive.

“We don't privation to needfully foster that benignant of gameplay. The crippled isn't astir shooting different players. You tin bash that if you privation to, but the ethos of the crippled has ne'er been to spell successful and sprout players. It's a portion that we usage to trade tension.”

Söderlund revealed that Arc Raiders spent rather a spot of clip during improvement not having different players astatine all. But Embark added different players into the game, supported by subtle signaling truthful you cognize players were about, to make this important constituent of tension.

“The crippled was without different players for a agelong time,” Söderlund said. “And yes, determination were instances wherever the crippled was amusive and determination were areas wherever it worked rather well. But besides the infinitesimal you added different players and past usage subtle ways of signaling — you don't cognize however galore players are connected the server, you don't cognize however galore players person died, you don’t cognize however galore players are astir you — but we awesome to you that determination are different players. You perceive them shooting. That's wherefore audio is simply a precise important portion of this game. You perceive them encountering Arc and different players. You spot the raider flares arsenic they spell down.

“At 1 constituent — it was comic — I came backmost into a playtest and the raider flares were gone. I'm like, ‘Why did you region those?’ And they're like, ‘Well, well…’ So I conscionable said, ‘Just bring them back.’ They're specified an iconic portion of this game.

“And they besides awesome to different players that enactment is happening somewhere. It makes it consciousness populated successful an important way. And you besides cognize that determination could beryllium a downed raider somewhere. Should I spell there? Should I instrumentality the hazard and spell determination to spot whether I tin find something, oregon person they been brought backmost to life? There's a hostility constituent successful that that's precise important.”

Söderlund went connected to suggest that backstage crippled servers are “absolutely thing we could consider.” Private servers are thing fans person been wondering astir ever since Arc Raiders came retired past year. Their summation would, theoretically astatine least, let those who are large into PvP to possibly make servers wherever that’s the focus.

For now, though, Arc Raiders won’t shingle your manus for your player-killing exploits, oregon springiness you the accidental for online glory done leaderboards. The accent present is PvE — with a dash of PvP thrown in.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].