Arc Raiders was released and received a reception from fans that most live shooters can only dream of. The game had the basic premise of fighting enemies, scavenging for loot, and surviving until extraction, but something clicked among fans. Multiplayer survival games are all the rage these days, and Arc Raiders’ popularity increased drastically, with the player count peaking at roughly 480,000 on Steam. Things have since started to shift, as the peak concurrent players is now at a maximum of 90,000 on Steam.
This brings the question: What change led to the Arc Raiders players’ count dropping almost 80%?
How Arc Raiders became a success
There are several reasons why Arc Raiders became a hit, one of the larger ones being that it deviated from the typical extraction-shooter template. Most extraction shooters are aimed at hardcore fans, but Arc Raiders is more accessible for casual gamers. This became the game’s USP, and when content creators began broadcasting the game, it led to an influx of players on Steam.
Arc Raiders combined easy elements with high-risk moments, making the game more balanced compared to others. An approximate half-a-million player count peak is no joke, and Arc Raiders didn’t just boom; it went viral. Despite this, some critics believe that a player count drop was bound to happen sooner or later.
What led to Arc Raiders’ player count drop
There isn’t just a single reason for players to stop playing Arc Raiders, and Embark Studios is actively supporting the game. The developer has released updates consistently, and a new map is also planned for later this month. However, Embark has accepted that there are shortcomings and is actively changing systems. New updates bring enemies and other content, but they haven’t stopped Arc Raiders’ player count from dropping.
Cheating
The game has a severe cheating issue in Arc Raiders, which has been a large factor in many players getting turned away from the game. When you die in an extraction shooter, you don’t just lose the raid, you lose all your gear. This explains why rampant cheating is discouraging for players who are gaming fairly.
Losing progress
Many extraction shooters, including Arc Raiders, also have another mechanic where player progress is reset after a certain duration. This means you lose your upgrades, gear, and many other things that were hard to find. Games that already have a large fan base may be able to survive this mechanism, but Arc Raiders is roughly four months old. Arc Raiders specifically has expeditions where players lose loot and progression, which may stop new players from starting their journey.
PvP
PvP combat is instrumental in the genre, but Arc Raiders failed to excel in this department. The game’s PvP combat is less brutal and more balanced than others in the genre. Hardcore players want a more brutal, punishing, and high-risk PvP combat. This has seemingly led to many gamers who prefer PvP combat stopping playing.
Streamers
Arc Raiders benefited greatly at launch from streamers, but now even big content creators are announcing that they won’t play the game anymore. The most recent streamers to back off may be Ninja, who cited cheaters and stream snipers as the reason for his departure. TheBurntPeanut may have been the most notable content creator playing the game, but even he has slowed down.
Is it a big deal that Arc Raiders’ player count is dropping?
All the aforementioned reasons combined are why Arc Raiders’ player count dropped drastically. Embark Studios is still trying to change things up and breathe life into Arc Raiders, but so far, the developer has been unsuccessful. The initial player spike was bound to decline, but such a big loss of players in a short amount of time indicated that Embark Studios needs to figure out what to change. The developer will be releasing a new map in the next few days, which may change things.
The player drop may feel big if you look at the numbers, but it’s normal and expected for new players to either continue playing or move on to something newer. This happens in many live-service games, and what matters now is how the game is improved. If the current player base is maintained and Embark Studios keep releasing new content, then players may return.
Arc Raiders’ initial success is the reason why this player drop is so evident. If the success had been smaller, a shift in players may not have been as noticeable. The good news is that the game is still being developed, and the developer has not given up. This is great for gamers who are currently playing, and may be an incentive for future players.
Arc Raiders’ initial hype has faded, and how the game fares now will decide its future. Retaining the current player base is instrumental right now, as that will decide whether the game remains relevant or not.
