The post-launch growth of ARC Raiders exceeded Embark's expectations. Facing a rapidly expanding player base and the resulting pressure for content and operations, the studio has significantly expanded the project team and plans to support the game as a long-term live service.
Aleksander Grøndal, Executive Producer at Embark, stated ahead of the "Frozen Path" update that the extraction shooter quickly gained popularity after launching on consoles and PC last October, a scale the studio had not anticipated. He described the resulting new pressures as a welcome challenge.
The project was initially developed by a relatively small team. Since the game's launch, the team size has significantly increased, and hiring continues. However, Embark does not want expansion to affect its original work style and team strengths, so it has adopted a more cautious growth strategy.
Grøndal stated that shifting to a live-service model brings a new set of challenges, requiring the team to find operational methods that suit them rather than directly copying other titles. The "Frozen Path" update helped address some issues, but many areas still need improvement. The studio believes ARC Raiders can and should have a long-term presence.
Currently, Embark has not released a full roadmap, as the team is still balancing the pace of resource investment with player demands. When discussing PvE design, the studio also stated that increasing difficulty should not undermine the game's core premise.