Before The Finals, Embark Studios originally announced Arc Raiders as their first project. While originally described as a “cooperativet hird-person shooter where you and your squad of Raiders unite to resist the onslaught of ARC,” the game has now transitioned to something much mor than that.
In a new update on the game’s development, Executive Producer Aleksander Grøndal revealed that Arc Raiders has now transitioned to be a PvPvE (Player vs. Player vs. Environment) game.
While there’s no new gameplay footage to be seen (the last we’ve seen of the game was its reveal trailer back in December 2021), Grøndal did offer a glimpse of what to expect via an excerpt of what players can expect from the game:
People have fled to the underground colony of Speranza, seeking supplies to survive, and shelter from the machines. Demand for resources is at an all-time high. But getting those resources is a risky job, and it isn’t for everyone.
But it is a job for you.
That’s why you’ve enlisted as a Raider, scavenging for vital supplies that are scattered across the landscape. Everything from leftovers from yesterday’s run-in with ARC to the unlikely remains of a pinball machine.
Out there, the stakes are high, and you will have to fight for your loot. Lethal ARC machines roam the surface. And there are no rules in Calabretta, so beware of other Raiders.
With the traders in Speranza, trust is hard-earned and easily lost. You need to earn your keep. So don’t come back from a quest empty-handed.
When you see another Raider chased by a swarm of ARC drones, do you go in for the kill? Do you lend a helping hand? Or do you hold back and feast on the valuable remains?
In addition to the announcement of the game’s premise change, Embark has also announced that a Closed Alpha test to get “feedback on the game’s core systems and loops” will be held this summer. You can sign up for it here, but it will be held under NDA (non-disclosure agreement), so participants cannot share videos, impressions and screens of it.
No word yet on when Arc Raiders will launch, but it’s slated for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.