Embark Used a Randomizer to Curb Aggressive Dev Playtesting in Arc Raiders
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Embark Studios production director Caio Braga revealed that developers of Arc Raiders used a daily randomizer to force themselves to switch between peaceful and aggressive playstyles during testing, helping them better understand the wider player community.
Playtesting a multiplayer shooter is notoriously tricky because developers naturally develop hyper-efficient, highly aggressive habits that do not always match how everyday players experience a game. For Embark Studios, internal playtests for Arc Raiders leaned so heavily into intense PvP combat that the team had to get creative. Production director Caio Braga recently shared in an interview with GamesRadar that developers started using a daily randomizer to force themselves into different playstyles, alternating between peaceful questing and total aggression to better understand the community.
This internal friction also sparked debates over social features like the don't shoot emote. Some team members questioned the point of pacifist options given how aggressively the staff played during testing, but the design team held firm. That faith paid off, as the emote became a popular tool for players trying to navigate the tense extraction mechanics without always resorting to violence. By forcing themselves to step outside their comfort zones, the developers gained a clearer picture of how different player archetypes actually engage with the live service world.
Balancing an extraction shooter for both hardcore combatants and peaceful scavengers is an ongoing challenge, especially as communities find new ways to break the meta. While a randomizer cannot predict every trick the player base will invent once matches go live, it shows a healthy willingness by Embark to look past their own internal stats. Understanding how a game feels from the perspective of a casual player or a lone quest runner is essential for keeping these persistent economies healthy and fun. You can read the original interview over at GamesRadar via Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: Arc Raiders, Embark Studios, PC Gaming, Consoles, Game Development
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun