Embark reports that transitioning away from a free-to-play model has significantly simplified the design process for Arc Raiders

Embark Studios, a game developer from Sweden, announced that shifting Arc Raiders from a free-to-play format to a premium model simplified the game's design significantly.

The studio highlighted these changes in a recent segment of its 'The Evolution of Arc Raiders' documentary series, where the team addressed the complexities of balancing risk and reward often seen in the extraction shooter genre.

Initially, their initial project, The Finals, hit the market as a free-to-play game. However, Embark found this model unsuitable for Arc Raiders, leading to a substantial simplification in the development process.

Design director Virgil Watkins elaborated, stating, "With free-to-play games, there's a need to extend playtime and create stickiness, encouraging players to engage repeatedly, often leading them to make purchases. This made it challenging to ensure respectful use of the player's time in activities like crafting and gaming sessions. Deciding on a premium model allowed these processes to align better with a fair use of time."

Watkins added, "Removing crafting timers and making resource collection require more rational quantities allowed the effort and outcomes to synchronize better. However, finding non-exploitative ways to monetize remains a crucial challenge."

Patrick Söderlund, Embark's CEO and founder, commented, "We needed to align with market expectations. Free-to-play games draw large user bases, possibly attracting tens of millions temporarily, but during Arc Raiders' redevelopment, we questioned if that approach best suited our goals."

Initially revealed in 2021 as a cooperative shooter under the free-to-play model, Arc Raiders transitioned into a PvPvE extraction shooter by 2023.

By June 2024, the game had officially switched to a premium model instead of free-to-play.

When it launched in October 2025, Arc Raiders achieved immense success, becoming the "most successful global launch" ever for Embark's parent company, Nexon.