ARC Raiders' Crossplay Conundrum: A Peculiar Case of Console Compromise
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
ARC Raiders' upcoming launch comes with a surprising crossplay caveat: PS5 and Xbox players won't get a console-only crossplay option, meaning they'll always be lumped in with PC players if they opt for cross-platform play, raising concerns about competitive balance and cheaters.
Right, so imagine you're brewing up a new potion – something grand, something revolutionary – and you've got all these fantastic ingredients. But then, just as you're about to pour, someone whispers, 'Oh, by the way, this potion might also occasionally turn your eyeballs into sentient, judgmental marbles.' That, my friends, feels a bit like the latest news swirling around Embark Studios' *ARC Raiders*.
This game, eh? It’s been on quite the journey, hasn’t it? From a splashy co-op shooter reveal at The Game Awards 2021, it morphed into a full-blown PvPvE extraction shooter – a genre that's currently as trendy as artisanal bread, but with more laser guns and less sourdough starter. Set in a rather grim, post-apocalyptic world where humanity's gone underground (smart move, if you ask me, surfaces are just *riddled* with problems), we're meant to be these plucky raiders, scrounging for goodies and dodging existential threats. Sounds like a cracking time, fair dinkum.
But here's the kicker, the rather peculiar catch that's got some console players scratching their heads, or perhaps even throwing their controllers in exasperation. Embark Studios, through a recent Discord FAQ update, confirmed *ARC Raiders* will indeed feature full crossplay across all platforms – PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. And yes, you can turn it off. Sounds grand, right? A digital campfire for all gamers to gather 'round. Except, there's a sly little caveat: PS5 and Xbox players won't have the option for *console-only* crossplay. Meaning, if you want to play with your mates on other consoles, you'll inevitably be lumped in with the PC crowd.
Now, before some PC purists start huffing about 'elitist console gamers,' let's be fair. There's a genuine, rather gnarly reason for this concern. Shooters, especially competitive ones, often become a bit of a... well, a digital Wild West when you mix inputs. Keyboard and mouse versus controller? It’s not always a fair fight, mate. It’s like bringing a fancy, enchanted rapier to a gunfight – you *might* look cool, but you’re probably gonna have a bad day. More significantly, and this is where the wizard in me gets a bit twitchy, PC often seems to be where the digital goblins – the cheaters, the aim-botters, the general mischief-makers – tend to congregate with greater ease. Just look at the ongoing sagas in games like *Escape from Tarkov* or even some of the bigger battle royales; the struggle against illicit third-party software is a constant, exhausting battle. Console ecosystems, while not entirely immune, generally have stronger gatekeepers, making widespread cheating a bit trickier to pull off. So, for PS5 and Xbox players, the lack of a 'consoles-only' safe space feels less like a choice and more like being nudged into a potentially chaotic mosh pit.
This revelation follows a somewhat bumpy road for *ARC Raiders*. Remember that countdown earlier this year? The one that had everyone – myself included, I’ll admit, I was ready for a midnight digital drop – thinking a shadow-launch was imminent? Yeah, that one. Turned out it was just Embark being 'playful' and 'hype-building.' Which, translated from corporate speak, probably means 'Oops, we kinda overestimated how clearly we communicated our intentions, sorry about that, folks.' They apologised, fair play, but it definitely left a slight whiff of 'marketing gimmick' in the digital air. It's the kind of move that makes a curious wizard wonder, 'Are they trying to enchant us, or just pull a rabbit out of a hat that wasn't actually there?'
However, it's not all doom and gloom and digital wizard's apprentice mishaps. In a rather encouraging reversal, Embark Studios *is* giving us another shot at the game before its October 30 release. They'd previously hinted there wouldn't be more playtests, but lo and behold, a 'Server Slam Playtest' is scheduled for October 17-19. No invites needed, globally available on all platforms. This is genuinely good news! A Server Slam, for the uninitiated, is basically the developers throwing a massive party and seeing if the house can handle the ruckus without the roof caving in. It's about stressing the servers, seeing how much digital traffic they can handle, and hopefully, preparing for a smoother launch. It's a pragmatic move, and I reckon it shows they’re actually listening, even if their communication spells sometimes go a bit sideways.
So, where does that leave us, dear raiders? *ARC Raiders* is shaping up to be an interesting prospect, an extraction shooter with a solid premise and a rather cool aesthetic. But this console crossplay decision is a bit of a wrinkle in the digital fabric, a curious design choice that feels like it’s asking console players to take a leap of faith into potentially choppier waters. Will the anti-cheat be robust enough to quell the fears? Will the KBM advantage be negligible in the grand scheme of things? Only time, and a good many hours on the hostile surface, will tell. My crystal ball is a bit foggy on this one, but I'm optimistically chaotic enough to want to see how this particular spell unfolds. Just keep your wands ready, eh?
This rather intriguing bit of news first materialized thanks to the clever reporting of Gabriel Machado Pureza over at Game Rant. Always worth a gander!
Tags: Extraction Shooter, Crossplay, Console Gaming, PC Gaming, Embark Studios
Original article: Game Rant