Arc Raiders' release date, which falls between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, may have some wondering “what the hell are they doing?” but the developer insists “we believe the game can be released there”

The developer is Arclight Guide Don't worry about appearing Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7insisting: “We believe the game can be released there.”

Arc Raiders wraps up recent 'Server Slam' playtest with massive player count on Steamhinting at a strong release ahead of the October 30 release date. Its concurrent player count peaked at 189,668, making it one of the most played games on Valve's platform over the weekend and the largest extraction shooter ever on Steam. That said, the full version is set to be released tomorrow, which falls squarely between the release dates of two of the world's biggest FPS franchises, and Embark Studios CEO Patrick Soderlund admitted that some may be wondering “What the hell are they doing?”

“I know. Crazy,” Soderlund told gaming business. “People might look at (Arc Raiders' release date) and say, 'What the hell are they doing?' We've spent a lot of time looking at it from multiple angles, and rightly or wrongly, we believe the game can be released there. It's the beginning of a long journey. It needs to start somewhere.”

As for whether the game's large-scale testing is enough to retain players and officially release it? “I think it comes down to us not being complacent enough to believe we can create something without having a meaningful impact or innovation,” Soderlund said. “We have to bring something to the table so people pay attention. If we do it well enough, maybe they'll stay. But in order for them to get away from what they're already playing, there needs to be a traction.

“A few years ago, I was worried about Arc Raiders and whether it would find a market. So when we launched technical testing earlier in the spring, we were shocked by how many people had played it. Obviously, we tried our best to market it, but it became one of those things that went viral. We're humbled by that. It's a testament to the work the team has done in building a game that's complex but accessible. Something easy to play, but with a lot of gameplay depth.”

Arc Raiders' design director said it was serendipitous timing that its extraction shooter was being tested around the same time as Bungie's. marathoncalled “This is a great A/B test for us.” Virgil Watkins said in an interview last week: “It was very coincidental that they were testing around the time we were testing. I don't think any of us knew that was going to happen, as far as I know. It was a really good A/B test for us because obviously, they made decisions that we didn't make and vice versa. So we could compare and contrast how some of those things happened.”

Embark Studios' last game, the free-to-download competitive shooter The Finals, is still running, although its concurrent player numbers on Steam are nowhere near what they were when it exploded in December 2023.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist and consultant for IGN with over 15 years of experience working with some of the largest gaming sites and publications in the world. She's also a Guardian, a Spartan, a Silent Hill Warrior, a Legend, and an eternal High Chaos. find her in blue sky.