Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund once again defended the use of artificial intelligence in the studio's extraction shooter. ARC Raiders. During a new interview, the executive explained how Embark didn't shy away from hiring artists ARC Raiders with the aim of replacing them with artificial intelligence, and urged fans to “take a step back” and understand how the use of artificial intelligence can actually help develop the game and be a “huge benefit to players”.
Controversial use of AI indoors ARC Raiders didn't stop Embark's second title from becoming a breakout hit in 2025. The extraction shooter took the gaming world by storm when it released in October, peaking at over 481,000 concurrent players on Steam, receiving rave reviews from players and critics alike, and even retaining 91% of its player base until 2026. believed ARC Raiders was destined to fail because the release date was inserted between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7Neither of Embark's two power units seems to have failed. While ARC Raiders has retained much of its player base, the same cannot be said Battlefield 6which lost 85% of its active users in just three months.
ARC Raiders kicks off 2026 with a new set of trial challenges
ARC Raiders developer Embark Studios is kicking off 2026 with a brand new set of trial challenges for players to complete and earn new rewards.
Despite the huge success, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for the shooter. Before it came out ARC Raiders sparked controversy over the use of artificial intelligence, fans blasted Embark for implementing a text-to-speech system in certain parts of the game. To be more specific, Embark trained an AI system to replicate dialogue from real voice actors. These actors reportedly gave their full consent and were paid to have their voices used by the system, but not everyone was happy with the decision. Of course, with its AI text-to-speech feature, Embark is able to produce content much faster than if it needed to schedule a recording session with actors. However, there is a clear difference between a human voice driven by emotion and an AI system that simply regurgitates written lines.
Embark CEO defends use of AI in ARC Raiders
During a recent interview with GamesBeat, Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund defended Embark's use of artificial intelligence in ARC Raiderswhich he also used in his first title, Final. “We don't use artificial intelligence to avoid having to hire people or replace people, work groups or voice actors,” Söderlund said. “People need to take a step back and understand what it is and how it can be a big help to developers and a huge benefit to players. I realize it's a complicated topic and discussion.”
It's not the first time ARC RaidersThe use of artificial intelligence has been debated in the industry, with Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani also weighing in on the controversy late last year. The Helldivers 2 the developer believes it boils down to two different mindsets. While on the one hand companies like Square Enix plan to automate 70% of their QA tests, on the other are “developers who feel their livelihoods are at stake… the very fabric of their being, and therefore all AI is bad AI”. While many are adamantly against the use of AI in video games and various other media, Embark has paid actors to use their voices, which Jorjani says is important. “Let's just make sure people are getting paid for their work. Like, there's definitely a middle ground here, come on,” the CEO said.
Hate it, love it or have no opinion about it, there's no denying that AI is here to stay and will be a huge part of video game development. While ARC RaidersThe use of generative artificial intelligence is relatively small, it is not the only studio that uses such systems. Call of Duty publisher Activision was recently forced to respond to AI allegations Black Ops 7the latest entry in the series. After fans noticed that certain artwork in the game appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence, the studio said it was using “various digital tools, including artificial intelligence tools, to empower and support our teams in creating the best gaming experiences.”
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood
