Embark Studios may be very intentional concerning the cosmetics it provides to its multiplayer shooter Arc Raiders, with the developer’s CEO saying that any skins launched to the sport have to suit inside its extremely curated universe.
In a February 6 IGN interview, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund defined that whereas video games like Embark’s earlier sport, The Finals, and Fortnite can add no matter character cosmetics they need, Arc Raiders is a bit totally different. The distinction, for Söderlund, is the sport’s lore and world, which he described as being “extra curated.” This curation is what prevents Arc Raiders from placing, say, The Grinch or Sonic the Hedgehog within the sport.
“Firstly, we need to be sure that all the pieces matches the fiction of Arc Raiders, and that it is one thing that sits properly throughout the Arc Raiders universe,” Söderlund stated. “I imply, there are different video games, very profitable video games out there–The Finals being one in every of them–in which the IP is designed so it mainly occurs to be very elastic. You are able to do regardless of the hell you need, and persons are like, ‘That is sensible. It is fully believable.’ I is usually a pink banana, and you may be no matter, and everybody’s like, ‘That is sensible. It matches the universe. No downside.’ Arc Raiders has a extra curated lore, curated world, so we now have to stay inside boundaries barely to a unique extent than perhaps The Finals or Fortnite or one other sport by which Batman can shoot Bart Simpson.”
That is to not say that the Arc Raiders will not experiment with their character designs. Söderlund defined that Embark Studios desires to “broaden [the game’s] lore and artwork path additional.” Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter what is completed, all of it should match throughout the sport’s established universe.
“What we now have to do is to problem ourselves and all the time be sure that we construct issues which have the correct sort of edge,” Söderlund stated. “Some issues simply must be OG–if there’s such a factor as that spot in the midst of what Arc Raiders is–but we additionally must construct issues which can be on the perimeter of what the lore and IP can tolerate with out them being a pink banana. That’s one thing that, I believe, we have finished to some extent, however I believe we are able to in all probability do extra of. Once more, we’ll in all probability have a barely segregated person base on the subject of what they like, however that is in all probability tremendous given that they are cosmetics. That is in all probability the way it ought to be. So, yeah. That is sort of the place we’re.”
Since launching on October 30 for consoles and PC, Arc Raiders has been a large hit for Embark Studios. It has been reviewed favorably by critics and followers alike, receiving a 9/10 in GameSpot’s Arc Raiders evaluation. It is also bought over 12 million copies up to now, making it a really worthwhile venture for the Swedish developer.