Well, the big moment at Summer Game Fest came and went. The good news? ARC Raiders is launching this year, but you'll need to wait a little while longer until you can return to the Rust Belt. However, Embark Studios is addressing the game's community following backlash after in-game teasers and clues didn't lead to a shadow drop.
Speaking on the official ARC Raiders Discord server, Embark Studios' community lead, Dusty Gustafsson, offers an apology to players. "In the lead-up to the ARC Raiders date reveal, we put out a countdown to June 6. This gave the false impression that we would be shadow dropping the game. Instead, you found out that ARC Raiders is coming on October 30, making it a countdown to a countdown."
For context, over the last few weeks, ARC Raiders' popularity has surged exponentially. The recent Tech Test propelled the action game's status to new heights, and an in-game countdown ticked away until the night of Summer Game Fest. In my previous reports, I speculated that the likely outcome would be a release date, alongside a potential ARC Raiders beta.
Although we now have the ARC Raiders release date, Gustafsson says in the Discord server that "the frustration and disappointment that followed is 100% our fault […]it's clear that what we saw as playful and hype-building came across as misleading and frustrating to many of you, and we get why." The community lead adds that Embark Studios feels that it "mismanaged the hype, we misread the situation, and we're so sorry that this led to disappointment."
Despite the lack of a new ARC Raiders playtest, or even a hint that a beta is on the horizon to tide players over, Embark is putting the final polishing touches on the new Steam Deck game. The Finals developer notes that it needs "additional time" to meet expectations, as "games live and die by polish and quality, balance, and long-term fun."
The studio's penchant for quality is notable, especially with The Finals. While the shooter doesn't have the large-scale loyalty of FPS game staples like Call of Duty at present, it continues to satisfy a healthy player base, with continuous updates that add limited-time events, cosmetics, and switches to the game's meta.
For me, it's undoubtedly the best shooter in the space right now, thanks to its out-of-the-box action that creates endless opportunities for chaos and outthinking rivals. The fully destructible maps are worth checking out at least once.
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