Embark Studio CEO and CEO ARC Raiders Director Patrick Söderlund applauded Bungie's work. marathon And how the Sony-owned studio responded to player feedback after the game's rough playtesting. He offered his own praise along with a subtle comparison. marathon And it's a self-extracting shooter from Embark Studios, which ultimately suggests that the two may not be competing for exactly the same audience despite sharing a genre.
ARC Raiders and marathon is one of the most popular extraction shooters to hit the market since 2025, but it hasn't followed the same path. while ARC Raiders It emerged as a huge hit after its release in October 2025. marathon It received mixed reactions during initial testing and required further iterations after Bungie acknowledged player feedback and delayed its planned September 2025 release to March 2026.
Marathon received positive reviews but failed to dominate the ARC Raiders.
Destiny and Halo developer Bungie released its new extraction shooter Marathon to positive reviews, but failed to dethrone ARC Raiders.
ARC Raiders coach impressed with marathon turnaround
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz on March 13, Söderlund looked back on Bungie's recent launch and the circumstances surrounding it, praising how the Sony subsidiary handled the negative player reaction to the game. marathon Alpha testing in spring 2025. He noted that the game had “received some serious criticism,” but stopped short of determining whether all the backlash was fair, adding that Bungie seemed to have turned what seemed like a big problem into “a really good thing” in such a short amount of time. “It’s a huge credit to that team and the work they did with the game,” the executive said. “I hope they do well.”
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Söderlund's praise wasn't limited to Bungie's response. He was also quoted as saying that the studio's new extraction shooter has “a lot” of things he likes. marathonAn example is the progression system. This statement suggests that his overall statement is more than a passing show of support, given that it's coming from the director of one of the most successful extraction shooters in recent memory.
Embark Boss Doesn't Think ARC Raiders and Marathon Are *That* Similar
Elsewhere in the interview, Söderlund shared his views on what should be done. marathon Compare to Embark's ARC RaidersDraw a clear distinction between the two. He described Bungie's new game as being more PvP-oriented, saying his first impression was that PvE “didn't seem to be the point.” marathon. Conversely, Embark continues to ARC Raiders It's a more accessible approach to the extraction shooter genre, where PvE plays at least as big a role as PvP. The focus on mass-market appeal is further reflected in the game's matchmaking system. ARC Raiders Players by Playstyle: Players who prioritize ARC are more likely to find themselves in lobbies with other PvE-focused individuals, while players who frequently attack other raiders are more likely to be aligned with opponents who are ready and eager to strike back.
ARC Raiders was made with 'probably a quarter' of the budget of a typical AAA game.
Although he has proven more than willing to discuss it, marathon This was not the focus of Söderlund's interview. Instead, the industry veteran spoke at length about what to do. ARC Raiders It was made on what he described as “a quarter of the budget” of a typical AAA game. The Embark CEO said this was made possible by leveraging new technologies, development pipelines and even organizational structures, all of which combined allowed Embark to compete at a high level without the scale of resources typically associated with AAA development.
while ARC Raiders Söderlund, who has sparked controversy over his use of AI voice, said his approach to development efficiency relies more on rethinking old development habits rather than excessive use of AI. He pointed to photogrammetry (using sets of photos to create 3D models), procedural generation, and the use of real-world terrain in Google Maps as examples of how Embark has streamlined environment creation, while arguing that much of the industry is still constrained by legacy technology.
- released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen/Animation Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction
- multiplayer
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Online multiplayer, online co-op
