ARC Raiders developers don’t want to change the emotional component when adding PvE content
Translated with AI from the Russian original.
Embark Studios doesn’t want to destroy the emotional component of ARC Raiders for the sake of a PvE mode, although after successful testing, the developers acknowledge that in the future players might be allowed to choose between PvP and PvE.
Although Marathon’s attempt to offer a permanent PvE mode did not lead to audience growth, ARC Raiders received a positive response during limited PvE testing, boosted by a free weekend. Embark Studios head Patrick Söderlund explained why the studio is in no rush to introduce such a mode.
“We could just add PvE. That’s not hard. But we didn’t want to interfere or mess around too much with the core game loop, because we believe the PvP in a PvPvE game creates the necessary tension.”
“When making a game, you’re trying to evoke emotions in players. If you manage to do that, you’re probably doing something right. It could be joy, fear — it all depends on your goals. A game that evokes different emotions is more likely to succeed. ARC Raiders touches on many of them, and removing one important element would disrupt the core emotional experience of the game. We decided that doing so would be wrong.”
Söderlund believes that encounters with other players create a special tension: an encountered squad might pass by peacefully, or shoot you in the back. It is precisely this unpredictability that attracts the audience. However, demand for PvE has grown, and the studio can no longer ignore it. The latest test showed that such a mode is entirely possible, though the amount of loot had to be reduced to compensate for the lower risk.
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