Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders just saw its first test of a brand-new PvE mode. While some fans didn’t look too kindly on the game’s new mode, it was an obvious success for the game with a significant rise in player count due to its inclusion.
As the week-long test concludes, Embark is not certain it wants to add the PvE mode into the game as a permanent staple in its current form. In a recent discussion, executive producer Aleksander Grøndal explained that Embark is “doing a deep dive” into the mode and what it means for the future of Arc Raiders.
“Of course, we were a bit skeptical about bringing such a mode to the game for historical reasons,” the producer told MP1ST in a recent interview. “But now we need to discuss what we want to do going forward.”
While the extraction shooter genre struggles as a whole to remain PvP-only (hello, Marathon), Grøndal believes the success of the game’s PvE mode proves Arc Raiders can expand into different types of play. Different forms of play means supporting different types of players, but how do you continue to support more play types without sacrificing the core experience?
“Perhaps this is more a signal that the game could support more player types, and we need to figure out how to support that,” the producer continued. “The challenge, of course, is how we do that without undermining the premise of the game itself.”
While the game’s PvE test mode was a success, the game’s final PvE mode—if that actually happens—isn’t set in stone. As the team continues its “deep dive”, the producer explained that there still needs to be discussions about what a foundational PvE mode means for Arc Raiders.
“Is it more a chill side mode you can play between more intense PvPvE rounds? Is it more a challenge mode that you can test your skills against AI?” the producer asked. “Or perhaps it’s a full experience with PvE only? These are some of the questions we need to dig into before we decide how to go forward.”
On launch, Arc Raiders was renowned for its “friendly” player base. Instead of the instant-kill-on-sight nature of other extraction shooters, players were known for being more likely to help others. As the game has become more PvP-focused, player counts have dropped, and Grøndal suggests the PvE mode’s success proves there’s “a certain player type wants to play the game without the stress”.
Embark will update players on their deep dive sometime next month. There are a number of factors to consider: will PvE only break up the player base too much? Will players be less inclined to play PvP if PvE is much easier? All of these questions need to be answered.
With that said, considering its popularity, it does seem unlikely that Arc Raiders won’t have some form of a permanent PvE mode. After all, the studio has frequently supported different game modes in The Finals, a game with a much smaller player base, so it seems likely that PvE fans will have something eventually.
