Patrick Söderlund, CEO of Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios, is praising Bungie after the Marathon crew managed to successfully deal with playtest suggestions “in a really quick time frame.”
The studio govt additional extinguished the extraction shooter beef throughout an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. In between questions in regards to the improvement of Arc Raiders, he gave his ideas on Marathon, Bungie’s competing expertise that launched March 5.
Though followers have spent months arguing about whether or not the Marathon revival may stand toe-to-toe with Arc Raiders, Söderlund took the chance to rejoice the previous Halo developer’s accomplishments to date. He particularly calls consideration to how shortly the expertise modified after early playtests yielded what Sony described as “diversified” suggestions from followers.
“I do know their technical take a look at final yr was closely criticized,” Söderlund stated. “Whether or not that was correct or truthful, I am unable to let you know. However what I can let you know is that, regardless that the suggestions could also be slightly blended, it appears to be like just like the crew has accomplished a extremely good job of turning what was an enormous downside round in a really quick time frame. That is uncommon.”
He continued, wishing Bungie one of the best now that the crew has utilized that suggestions to the launch construct: “So credit score to that crew and to the work that they’ve accomplished with the sport. I hope that they do nicely.”
Bungie just lately confronted criticism from followers after Marathon gamers observed that “Arc Raiders” had been censored in its in-game chat. It was a complicated second that was shortly rectified when it was uncensored as official social media accounts for each extraction shooter experiences shared a healthful second on-line. It’s arduous to say the place Marathon will go from right here, as post-launch help is just simply starting, however Söderlund’s feedback no less than present there’s solely pleasant competitors to be discovered from Embark.
“I really feel like [Marathon] is extra PvP [player vs. player] inclined,” he added when evaluating the variations between Marathon and Arc Raiders. “PvE [player vs. environment] would not really feel like the main target of that sport. However there are a number of issues in there that I truly like that they’ve accomplished nicely. I like that what I do within the sport is linked to my development. There are numerous issues in there that I truly suppose they’ve accomplished an excellent job with.”
Whereas Marathon is just simply getting began, gamers have already spent months with Arc Raiders since its launch in October 2025. For extra, you’ll be able to examine why we predict some Maraton quests are solely getting in the best way of the enjoyable. You can even try our current interview with Söderlund, the place we realized extra about how Embark plans to proceed constructing on its PvPvE shooter.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Remember to give him a observe on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).