ARC Raiders CEO: 'We Could Just Frankly Add PvE' as Nearly 50% of Test Rounds Went PvE
The PvE debate in ARC Raiders just got its strongest signal yet from the top. In a November 3 interview with The Game Business, Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund said, "We could just frankly add PvE. It's not a difficult thing to do." Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal added that almost half of all rounds played during October's PvE matchmaking toggle test ran on the PvE server. One important caveat up front: Embark has not officially confirmed a permanent PvE mode. Here's what the studio actually said.
Why Embark held back on PvE
Söderlund told The Game Business that the hesitation was never about technical difficulty. The studio didn't want to "fiddle too much with the core loop," where the PvP side of the game's PvPvE design adds what he called "adequate tension." Removing that, he argued, meant tampering with the game's core emotional loop.
The test changed his view. "We've now since tried it and realized that it's fine," Söderlund said. "Maybe people can choose what they like."
As Insider Gaming highlights, Söderlund also said Embark now has "a large enough audience that we need to listen and cater for both camps," adding: "We can't ignore the PvE camp completely." He stressed the team still wants to stay true to the game it built.
What the PvE test data shows
Grøndal said the team is "going through that data right now." The headline numbers so far:
- Almost 50% of rounds played during the test were on the PvE server, according to Grøndal in The Game Business interview.
- More than 30 million PvE rounds were played over the test period, per Embark's official wrap-up post, a figure PC Gamer also reported.
- Opinions split. Grøndal said some players who asked for PvE changed their minds because it lacked some of what makes the game work, while others "absolutely loved it."
That lines up with the mixed community response we covered in our PvE toggle player reactions roundup, and with the 1.7 million daily player spike estimated during the test week.
What a PvE mode could look like
Nothing is locked in. Grøndal said the goal now is to "figure out how we can cater to the specific needs of the players" without watering the game down into what he called "a game of nothing."
In an earlier MP1st interview quoted by PC Gamer, Grøndal laid out the options Embark is weighing:
- A chill side mode to play between intense PvPvE rounds
- A challenge mode that tests your skills against the AI
- A full PvE-only experience
He noted each option would shape how future updates get built. Embark hasn't said which way it's leaning.
What's next
Embark's test recap said it expects to follow up with more information in November, after analyzing the data and survey feedback. The CEO's comments sound like PvE is firmly on the table, but until Embark makes an official announcement, treat a permanent mode as possible, not promised. For the bigger picture, see our breakdown of ARC Raiders' year-two plan. We'll update as soon as Embark shares its decision.
