Few games have had a better year than Arc Raiders. After months of anticipation from open betas, the shooter from Embark Studios arrived in October to widespread acclaim. As such, with the end of the year approaching, executive producer Aleksander Grondal has taken some time to address the rousing reception and announce a little gift to players.
"Internally, we were having a blast playing [Arc Raiders] before release, and your reaction to the tech test in April gave us an inkling of what was to come," he says. "What we didn't count on was the sheer scale of love and passion you guys were going to show this game."
He mentions the devs at Embark "pour our hearts" into the project, and players are "doing the same." The path here was tricky, as the version we're playing is actually a rework of an earlier iteration, first revealed in 2021, that was more co-op focused. Needless to say, the relief around the company when their instincts were proven correct and people were really digging this direction must’ve been powerful.
"The work is just beginning," he says, doubling down on prior sentiment about building infrastructure that lasts. "We're here for the long-term, to build a game that continues to excite and surprise - we hope you stick around for the journey!"
Grondal teases there's "so much show you" for 2026, before revealing that everyone is getting 1,000 Raider Tokens simply for logging in. Just make sure you do so before the Cold Snap event finishes on January 13.
A fine way to round out an incredible launch for what’s comfortably one of 2025's biggest and best games. Founded by former Battlefield developers. Embark had its work cut out competing against Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and it managed to stand tall, even winning Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards. Onwards and upwards!
