10 February 2026

“That’s Not The Intent of the Game’s Design” ARC Raiders CEO Addresses Matchmaking Controversy

By newsgame

Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund has commented on the aggression-based matchmaking in ARC Raiders, admitting that players being able to manipulate the system into either PvP or PvE-centered lobbies is “not the intent of the game’s design.” Although ARC Raiders is a PvPvE extraction shooter, ever since Embark revealed that it uses an aggression-based matchmaking system, players have been working their way into lobbies that are filled with either incredibly friendly Raiders who don’t shoot, or ones who jump in looking for blood. This “cheesing” of the game’s matchmaking has divided the community, but Embark says it will continue to refine the system.

Like most online multiplayer titles, ARC Raiders has its own matchmaking system that determines how players are paired together when searching for a match. While most shooters will often operate on a skill-based system, which puts players together based largely on their skill level to ensure fair and competitive matches, ARC Raiders does things a little differently. While skill is taken into consideration, it is a player’s level of aggression that is taken into account the most. This means those who shoot other players more often have an increased chance of being put into raids with other PvP-focused players. Those who prefer battling ARC enemies, looting, and generally being friendly towards other players, are more likely to be placed into lobbies with similar Raiders.

ARC Raiders’ Latest Tease Has Players Speculating About a Brand-New Kind of Skin

A short teaser from ARC Raiders developer Embark Studios sparks speculation among the community about a potential new kind of skin.

ARC Raiders’ Matchmaking Will Continue to Be Tweaked

Unfortunately, as ARC Raiders uses a rather unique matchmaking system, it has resulted in players manipulating it to work in their favor. Aggressive players can quite easily force the game to put them into friendly, PvE lobbies by simply using a free loadout for a few games and not shooting anyone. Many don’t think this is a fair way to do things, and Embark’s CEO says it’s not how the design was intended to work. During a new interview with IGN, Söderlund was asked if Embark was aware of how players are taking advantage of the matchmaking to place themselves into PvE-centered lobbies, to which the CEO says, “I don’t know the answer to that. It’s obviously something that we are and need to continue to monitor. That’s not the intent of the game’s design or our ambition to segment the game in that aspect and make it so that people can sneak in. That’s not, of course, what we want.”

We want you, as a player, to have the experience that you’re looking for and makes you happy.

The studio’s CEO then went on to explain how he, as a player, is very focused on PvE, but also enjoys PvP sometimes because “it’s fun.” He says that ARC Raiders should “cater to all types of players,” but notes that Embark doesn’t want players to be in a situation that they don’t want or didn’t wish for. Söderlund was then asked if ARC Raiders‘ matchmaking will change as time goes by, to which he says, “All systems, when it relates to matchmaking, will undergo changes continuously.”

Matchmaking in any game is, of course, extremely complex, as the studio’s CEO rightly notes. “It’s not as simple as, ‘Are you someone that shoots a lot of people or not?’ It is far more sophisticated than that. The PvP, PvE aspect of it is a small portion of it,” Söderlund tells IGN. He then explains how numerous other factors are taken into consideration, such as how often a player shoots ARC enemies, how good is their aim, and much more. He also reaffirms that tweaks will continue to be made, and that there are “probably” other systems being worked on right now that will be added in the future.

Embark recently mixed things up massively by adding a new matchmaking option to ARC Raiders, which allows players to go into squads as a solo. While the aim was to increase tension, allow players to put their PvP skills to the test, and earn additional XP bonuses, much of the community was left baffled by the new option, questioning who exactly requested it.

Over the past few weeks and months, there have been calls for Embark to add a new high-tier only raid option to ARC Raiders. Although the studio has acknowledged these requests, even admitting that the feature has been discussed by the developers, there’s no word on if or when such an option could be added to the game. Embark recently laid out the first half of its 2026 roadmap for the shooter, confirming that new content updates will arrive once a month between January and April, with the fourth month set to see the addition of a new large ARC enemy and a brand-new map.