Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund Says ARC Raiders’ PvP Encounters Create Essential Tension That a Dedicated PvE Mode Would Remove

ARC Raiders’ mix of cooperative encounters and unpredictable PvP interactions is a major part of its identity. However, growing demand for a dedicated PvE experience has pushed Embark Studios to reconsider how players can approach its extraction shooter.

Speaking to The Game Business, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund explained why the studio initially resisted introducing a separate PvE option. According to him, adding PvE was technically straightforward, but doing so risked changing the experience that made ARC Raiders distinctive.

“We could just frankly add PvE. It’s not a difficult thing to do,”

Söderlund explained. However, the studio did not want to interfere with the game’s central gameplay loop because PvP creates additional tension within its PvPvE structure.

Why Embark Believes PvP Is Important to ARC Raiders

Söderlund explained that ARC Raiders is designed to generate different emotions, including excitement, fear, uncertainty, and relief. Unexpected encounters with other players contribute to that experience because Raiders never know whether another person will cooperate or attack.

“When you’re building a game, what you’re trying to do is to evoke emotion in players,”

he said. He believes removing PvP would eliminate an important part of the experience and potentially weaken the game’s defining gameplay loop.

However, the CEO acknowledged that Embark has reconsidered its earlier position after testing a dedicated PvE matchmaking option.

“We’ve now since tried it and realised that it’s fine. Maybe people can choose what they like,”

Söderlund added.

Embark conducted its limited PvE matchmaking test between October 13 and October 20, 2026. Players could choose between the traditional PvPvE experience and dedicated PvE servers, where player-versus-player damage was disabled.

The test also featured reduced loot value in PvE sessions to compensate for the lower risk of encountering hostile players.

Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal revealed to The Game Business that nearly 50% of the rounds played during the experiment took place on PvE servers. He also noted that reactions were mixed, with some players enjoying the mode while others discovered that removing PvP took away elements they valued.

The studio has not confirmed whether PvE will become a permanent option. The studio is still evaluating player feedback and considering how to accommodate different playstyles without compromising the experience that defines ARC Raiders.