In an era when creating AAA games requires hundreds or even thousands of employees and hundreds of millions of dollars, Embark Studios shows that a different approach is possible.
The authors of The Finals and ARC Raiders state that their projects are created for "a fraction of the cost" of typical modern blockbusters. At the same time, it's not about the massive use of AI.
Studio head Patrick Söderlund, former head of EA DICE, explained the details of the process in an interview. The company does use tools that simplify work, including the occasional use of AI to generate voices. However, the main factor was the focus on "old, proven methods of work."
Instead of huge structures, Embark forms small specialized teams. According to Söderlund, a compact group of experienced developers with a clear vision works faster and more flexibly. This helps to avoid years of "production hell" and respond more quickly to player feedback during testing.
This approach reduces the pressure of payback. Unlike large corporations, where a game often needs to sell tens of millions of copies to break even, Embark can work without such requirements. The developers believe that the industry now needs not huge budgets, but more flexible and thoughtful production management.
