TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Production designer Caio Braga talks balancing, high-profile game failures, and the passion for PvE in Arc raiders.
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Earlier this month at the 2026 Game Developers Conference, Embark production director Caio Braga gave a talk titled "When your AAA game isn't fun: the Arc Raiders story of starting over with intent."
PC Gamer spoke with Braga after the talk to answer some questions on our mind: Will Arc Raiders ever have vehicles? What does Embark make of high-profile failures in live service games? You can (and should) watch the full interview above.
One topic that was top of mind for Braga was the community's influence on updates and how behavior somewhat differed from playtests pre-release. Embark has its fair share of cooperative sessions among the studio, but Braga says the studio tends toward bloodthirsty PvP, including one particularly ruthless coworker.
"His nickname is the Hatch Camper. He loves PvP in the game. He's like Spider-Man: He's here, then he jumps out and ziplines behind you again. He kills whole squads all the time. He's very good at the game," Braga said.
"So we have both: We have people trying to have fun encounters, and some people just trying to be very efficient. That's good because we have a mix—that's what we want from the players as well."
Some other topics Braga touched on: How the Arc we know now were once hated by early players, the unexpected passion for PvE, and where Embark stands on adding vehicles to Arc raiders (the prototypes exist!).
Arc Raiders roadmap: New and improvedArc Raiders best skills: Survive the surfaceArc Raiders best weapons: Just don't lose themArc Raiders Expeditions: Retire your RaiderArc Raiders quests: All the missions and how to beat 'emArc Raiders Weather Monitor Project: Beat the windArc Raiders Trophy Display Project: Big game hunter
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Earlier this month at the 2026 Game Developers Conference, Embark production director Caio Braga gave a talk titled "When your AAA game isn't fun: the Arc Raiders story of starting over with intent."
PC Gamer spoke with Braga after the talk to answer some questions on our mind: Will Arc Raiders ever have vehicles? What does Embark make of high-profile failures in live service games? You can (and should) watch the full interview above.
One topic that was top of mind for Braga was the community's influence on updates and how behavior somewhat differed from playtests pre-release. Embark has its fair share of cooperative sessions among the studio, but Braga says the studio tends toward bloodthirsty PvP, including one particularly ruthless coworker.
"His nickname is the Hatch Camper. He loves PvP in the game. He's like Spider-Man: He's here, then he jumps out and ziplines behind you again. He kills whole squads all the time. He's very good at the game," Braga said.
"So we have both: We have people trying to have fun encounters, and some people just trying to be very efficient. That's good because we have a mix—that's what we want from the players as well."
Some other topics Braga touched on: How the Arc we know now were once hated by early players, the unexpected passion for PvE, and where Embark stands on adding vehicles to Arc raiders (the prototypes exist!).
Arc Raiders roadmap: New and improvedArc Raiders best skills: Survive the surfaceArc Raiders best weapons: Just don't lose themArc Raiders Expeditions: Retire your RaiderArc Raiders quests: All the missions and how to beat 'emArc Raiders Weather Monitor Project: Beat the windArc Raiders Trophy Display Project: Big game hunter
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?