"With Arc Raiders, we wanted to lean into some of the contemporary conversations around robots and AI": Embark Studios talk creating an extraction shooter with bite

After being overtaken by aliens and viral outbreaks, robotic killing machines once again feel like the greatest threat to humanity, which makes the enemies of multiplayer extraction shooter Arc Raiders all the more timely – especially as debates around generative AI continue, in the wake of other large-scale tech trends. It's certainly not lost on the team at Stockholm-based Embark Studios.

"With Arc Raiders, we wanted to lean into some of the contemporary conversations around robots and AI," explains Sven Grundberg, director of brand and communications at Embark Studios. "Depending on who you ask, the prospect of intelligent machines is as terrifying as it is mind-blowing and exciting, so this game felt like an opportunity to explore that." It's perhaps all the more resonant that these robots, the titular Arc, aren't Arnie's killer terminators but something even less humanoid yet also recognisable right now, be it flying sentry drones or larger threats with animalistic limbs straight out of Boston Dynamics' labs.

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Rise of the robots

There is nonetheless a notable retro style to Arc Raiders' science fiction, with '80s inspirations coming not just from action sci-fi movies but also fashion and music, including the 80s-inspired synthpop of Robyn's 'Dancing On My Own' that accompanied the game's announcement back in 2021. “We like to say that this is a grounded sci-fi game with bold contrasts — the environment and the world are full of historical artifacts mixed with futuristic remnants, and the ARC machines are an embodiment of this style, blending the foreign and the familiar,” says Grundberg.

It's a decade that undeniably continues to influence our pop culture but Grundberg tells us that they also wanted to bring their own fresh spin to it instead of just a mere nostalgia play. "We really felt that the throwback nature of the style embodied Arc Raiders’ story and helped bring our post-post-apocalyptic setting to life. The style also allowed us to convey that humanity was starting all over again, but not entirely from scratch."

In other words, don't expect a complete reset of civilization like Horizon's hunter-gatherer tribes but a still recognizable humanity that has taken refuge underground, save for the raiders who dare to venture to the surface, facing not only deadly machines but other rival raiders, for all the precious loot that they can carry on their steel frame backpacks in exchange for better gear and upgrades back at the den. It's in its worldbuilding, which includes a lot of destroyed buildings, with rooftops that you can easily zipline across also make for great vantage points, where Arc Raiders hopes to stand out from the extraction shooter competition. It's a goal that could open it up to newcomers just as much as giving extra depth to players who've already cut their teeth on the likes of Escape from Tarkov.

"We think that Arc Raiders is uniquely positioned in that it branches beyond the extraction genre with elements of action survival, adventure, and battle royale as well – opening the door for players who may not have tried an extraction shooter before, but keeping the high-stakes elements current extraction players love," explains Grundberg. "We’re also focusing a lot on building out the universe – It’s been really important to us throughout this process that the world of Arc Raiders is something vibrant and dynamic, with a rich narrative and versatile gameplay, enabling players to really immerse themselves in our world. We really think there’s an adventure here for any kind of player."

Multiplayer shooters are a ruthlessly competitive space – look no further than the high-profile casualties of Hyenas and Concord – yet some of its best can also be intimidating and inaccessible. There's however a lot to be hopeful for Embark in making Arc Raiders a more approachable and appealing extraction shooter that may make it a mainstream hit. It certainly helps that it already has the success of The Finals under its belt, and is taking those learnings directly into Arc Raiders – though crucially not all of them, given its pivot from free-to-play to premium release. "Launching a game in practice is one thing in theory and another thing in reality," says Grundberg. "The Finals was Embark’s first game to market, and we’re learning things every day. We recently hosted a closed tech test and the feedback we received was very encouraging and helped to point us in the right direction with how to continue to grow the game and optimize the experience for players." There's plenty of reason to hop in and scavenge come launch.

If your trigger finger can't wait for Arc Raiders, check out the best FPS games that made our list