Reported Arc Raiders budget of $75 million is "not too far off," says Embark head: "We can live for a long time on the money that Arc Raiders has been generating"

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Reported Arc Raiders budget of $75 million is "not too far off," says Embark head: "We can live for a long time on the money that Arc Raiders has been generating" News By Austin Wood published 6 February 2026

Arc Raiders didn't cost "hundreds and hundreds of millions"

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(Image credit: Embark Studios)

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Arc Raiders had sold over 12 million copies as of January 12, so Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund is right to say "you don't have to be a math professor to realize that the game has done well for us." But the specifics of the game's profitability and its impact on Embark's plans, including the development of two new games, remains interesting.

Söderlund gets into Arc Raiders' reception and finances in an interview with IGN. "Of course, it's been very profitable for us," he says.

Asked about recent reports claiming Arc Raiders was made on a budget of $75 million, Söderlund wouldn't give specific numbers, but did say this estimate was "not too far off" the reality, as Embark hadn't been spending "hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars."

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Söderlund sounds bittersweet in his acknowledgement that, where "our industry has been riddled with layoffs and studio closures for the past, I would say, 24 months," Embark now has a comfortable war chest.

"We can live for a long time on the money that Arc Raiders has been generating, and that does give financial security and employment stability for the people that work there," he continues. "We're growing our studio, we're hiring people, we want to build more of Arc Raiders, we want to build more of The Finals. We also have two new games in development that we hope to finish someday."

Embark recently announced the next major leg of development: Arc Raiders' Escalation phase roadmap, which spans the first four months of 2026. As part of that, we've gotten the Arc Raiders Bird City map modifier for Buried City.

"We’ve heard your feedback": Arc Raiders lowers Expedition requirement to 3 million coins, lets players "catch up" on missed skill points from the first Expedition for just 300k each.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PS5 Xbox Series X PC Gaming Platforms PlayStation Xbox Austin WoodSocial Links NavigationSenior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

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Logout Read more Arc Raiders just hit 12 million copies sold, analyst estimates, sets new active players record 2 months after launch    Arc Raiders devs were inspired by Helldivers 2 when they shifted from free-to-play to a $40 game    Arc Raiders devs have no plans on abandoning the shooter: "Our ambition is to keep this game alive for the longest time"    Arc Raiders was going to be a cross "between Shadow of the Colossus, Left 4 Dead, and PUBG" according to dev, who says Embark initially had no idea "what kind of game loop we were supposed to have"    Former Battlefield devs had "something to prove" with Arc Raiders and The Finals, ex-Nexon boss says, and that's why they succeeded where other veteran-led studios failed    Arc Raiders producer says the extraction shooter "is just beginning," reveals festive gift of 1,000 tokens for players    Latest in Third Person Shooters You're really "gonna s*** your pants" this time, Helldivers 2 boss threatens, and I'm more convinced now than before    How to kill the Queen in Arc Raiders    Arc Raiders player seeks ultimate victory over the Arc by one-shotting the Queen with synthesized fuel canisters    Faced with the bots' attempts at peace, Helldivers 2 players shoot down "baseless propaganda" as anti-freedom drivel    Helldivers 2 Cyborgs recreate the game's intro but with evil humans killing innocent robot children    Arc Raiders lowers Expedition requirement to 3 million coins, lets players "catch up" on missed skill points    Latest in News Reported Arc Raiders budget of $75 million is "not too far off," says Embark head: "We can live for a long time"    Blizzard insists its Overwatch rebrand isn't "us trying to admit there was a failure"    Xenogears translator had a rough time with the legendary PS1 JRPG, and not just because it's about killing God    Todd Howard knows there's "anxiety" about Fallout 5, says "we do like to wait" but "we never stopped developing Fallout"    Bungie reluctantly responds as Destiny 2 raiders force each other to solo the Witness final boss "or drink pee"    Bethesda could take notes from Baldur's Gate 3 to make new RPGs like The Elder Scrolls 6 "meaningful," says Skyrim lead    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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