Some said ARC Raiders would be the “next Titanfall 2” – not for lack of quality, but because of brutal timing – yet the opening minutes suggest otherwise. The game lands today between Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7, seemingly unfazed and already topping 100,000 concurrent players.

Dropping a new shooter between two genre heavyweights is a tall order, but Embark Studios is doing exactly that. The studio’s ambitious extraction shooter, ARC Raiders, arrives on October 30, just weeks after Battlefield 6 and days after Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. With memories of the infamous release “sandwich” around Titanfall 2, many wondered if the Swedish team was repeating history. Management, however, appears to have a clear plan.

Speaking with The Game Business, Embark co-founder and former DICE boss Patrick Söderlund acknowledged the apparent madness of this window, while insisting the timing is right. “I know, it’s crazy. People might be thinking, ‘What on earth are they doing?’ We’ve analyzed this decision from many angles, and we believe it’s the right time to launch. This is the beginning of a long journey, and it has to start somewhere.”

There are reasons to be confident. During the recent open test, the “Server Slam,” ARC Raiders drew strong participation on Steam, with thousands sampling the gameplay. Söderlund admitted that years ago he wasn’t sure the project would find a market, but said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the huge turnout across the closed and open tests.

The project has also evolved significantly. Originally conceived as a free-to-play PvE multiplayer experience in the vein of Destiny, ARC Raiders was repositioned as a 40 euro extraction shooter to deliver a more polished, sustainable product over time. That shift comes as rivals like Bungie’s Marathon chase the same crowded space, making Embark’s bet high risk but potentially high reward.

Early Player Counts Put ARC Raiders On The Front Foot

A fast start never guarantees long-term success, but the initial numbers vindicate Embark’s call. According to SteamDB, ARC Raiders peaked at 146,610 concurrent players within minutes of release, handily beating expectations and tripling the user base seen during April’s first beta.

Source: 3DJuegos