The highly anticipated release of ARC Raiders is right around the corner, and even though excitement is at an all-time peak after a free Server Slam weekend, the extraction shooter has some stiff competition. The developers at Embark Studios don’t seem phased by going toe-to-toe with Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, however.
Speaking with GamesRadar‘s Edge magazine, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund talked about how ARC Raiders “needs to come out” after its lengthy development. “We wanted the game out for that Christmas period,” he said. “We have been working on the game for such a long time, and at some point, it needs to come out.” But now it’s sandwiched between two titans. “If it’s not Battlefield” ARC Raiders is competing with, says Söderlund, “it’s Call of Duty, or something else.“
ARC Raiders Dev Isn’t Worried About Competing With Battlefield 6 & Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7
“It Is What It Is”
When ARC Raiders releases on October 30, it will have been nearly three weeks since the record-breaking release of Battlefield 6, and just over two weeks until Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrives. The holiday season is always crowded with games, but releasing a new shooter IP between two established giants (one of which is a perennial bestseller) is potentially risky. Söderlund doesn’t appear worried, though.
“It is what it is,” he told Edge, later going on to say, “It is odd” directly competing with Battlefield, which he previously had a major role in developing. Söderlund was the CEO of DICE, the studio primarily responsible for the Battlefield series, and left in 2018 to subsequently fill the same position at the newly founded Embark Studios. “We built Battlefield,” he said of Embark, which has numerous ex-DICE devs.
Söderlund isn’t just dismissive of the perceived competition, but is actively rooting for his old franchise: “I think [Battlefield 6] looks really good, and I’m very happy it does look good,” he said. “It’s an IP and a game that deserves to be great.” At the time of the interview, Söderlund said he was looking forward to playing BF6, “And I will play it – until the day we release ARC Raiders. And then I will play ARC Raiders instead.”
Our Take: ARC Raiders Fills A Different Niche Than BF & CoD
And Comes With Different Risks
Release dates are important, there’s no doubt about it (just look at all the games making way for Grand Theft Auto 6), but ARC Raiders dropping between two juggernauts like Battlefield and Call of Duty only adds to what is already an uphill battle. Successfully launching a new IP is difficult in and of itself, and the extraction shooter genre is notoriously volatile. It’s a cutthroat subgenre, and the harsh penalties for dying in a match turn a lot of prospective players away.
But it’s hard to argue against ARC Raiders offering something different. Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7 are both high-octane, constant-action games, whereas ARC Raiders can be almost meditative in its survival mechanics. The shooter genre is a big tent, and even though Battlefield and Call of Duty take up a lot of room, the type of experience ARC Raiders is bringing clearly fills a different niche.
The more pressing concern is ARC Raiders finding its footing. Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown have long ruled over the subgenre, which has notably seen a lot of failures, like The Cycle: Frontier, or titles mired in poor early access outings, such as Marauders. With the ARC Raiders Server Slam shooting up the charts on each eligible platform, it’s poised for a successful launch, even with it being bookended by Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7. The greater challenge will likely be holding onto that audience.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood
- Developer(s)
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Embark Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Embark Studios
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op