ARC Raiders: The Final Countdown

 

 Today (6/6/2025) is Summer Game Fest, and just like last year, I find myself waiting for yet another BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. Last year ended in tragedy with New World's nothing-burger news after hyping the announcement to the moon. Once again, a year later, many of us in the gaming community are waiting on bated breath for what's next for ARC Raiders, developed by Embark Studios.

 In a flashback to the New World announcement last year, a developer from Embark trolled the ARC community with a recorded video that bleeps out all the words being said about ARC Raiders. My mind jumped right back to when the New World developers pulled the same stunt last year. What I said then:

They better have a banger of an update for June, otherwise this video will likely be forever held up as the moment "remember when New World died?"

 The same could be said for Embark Studios and ARC Raiders. The hype for ARC is unprecedented, and Embark has a specific history that supercharges it. Embark's first game, The Finals, "shadow dropped" 32 days after it held a closed beta. No one expected the game to launch—and yet, BOOM, there The Finals was in all its glory. It was a very well-received launch.

 Now we sit exactly 32 days from the last ARC Raiders tech test, which received universal praise and is responsible for everyone's excitement. Embark has left clue after clue about something BIG on 6/6. There was the secret game update pushed to Steam that teased 6/6. There's the counting of letters in the ARC Raiders slogan "Enlist. Resist."—6 and 6. And of course, there’s the aforementioned bleep video.

 If this announcement isn't a banger, I will sincerely be worried that I’m cursed to follow games made by flunkies with poor taste in how to deliver a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. So what do I think we're going to get later today?

 Realistically? A new trailer, a release date, and a beta test announcement.

 But I'm not known for staying within the bounds of reality in these situations, so here’s what I think is going to happen: Embark Studios is going to shadow drop ARC Raiders. By end of day, we’ll be playing it live. The buzz will be insane.

 Why do I think it will be shadow dropped? I’ll spare you links to all the theoretical supporting evidence—like major streamers hinting at an undisclosed game they’ll be streaming tonight. For me, it comes down to my faith in Embark Studios. They are not your average dev studio. They feel very much like a "game-and-gamer-first, business-second" developer.

 The Finals, while not as popular now as it was at launch, was an unexpected gem. Embark shadow dropped it to wild success. They can and will do the same for ARC Raiders—but this time, the hype is on another level. I’m also hopeful that Embark wants to maintain a reputation as a developer willing to surprise gamers. Again, that "game-and-gamer-first" vibe I get from them.

 They will drop ARC Raiders today. See y’all on the surface.

 

 

 

Note: this post was edited with the help of AI (ChatGPT). The thoughts are my own.  The grammatical correctness is the AI.