Arc Raiders Tech Test Exceeds Publisher Expectations

Escape From Tarkov, Hunt Showdown and Marathon should watch out because Arc Raiders is proving itself as a strong new competitor in the gaming world.

Arc Raiders just finished a very successful playtest and players and press gave it a great response. The game's publisher confirmed it was a big success. As Arc Raiders gets ready to compete with top games like Escape From Tarkov and new challengers like Marathon Nexon said the second test for Arc Raiders went way beyond our expectations.

I’ve been really looking forward to playing two upcoming extraction games: Arc Raiders by Embark Studios and Marathon by Bungie. As a big fan of Destiny and Bungie’s reputation for creating great multiplayer games. I’ve had high hopes for Marathon. But I’ve also been excited about Arc Raiders for a while though I wasn’t sure if it would catch players attention. Recently though my view on Arc Raiders has changed completely and I’m more excited than ever to see how it turns out.

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A lot of people are really excited about Arc Raiders after its latest tech test. I don't hear as much hype for Marathon though there are still fans like me who are eager for it. The recent alpha test did impress Some but it didn't quite feel like the exciting must-play game I was hoping for.

Now Nexon the publisher of Arc Raiders shared in its recent earnings report that they were really impressed with the tech test.

A big global tech test earlier this month went much better than expected. The game's wishlist numbers on Steam were 50% higher than anticipated. Participation and retention were especially good in Western markets. Even though the game had limited advertising. it was one of the top six most-watched games on Twitch and got more than 20 million views on YouTube.

Thanks to many people adding it to their wishlists Arc Raiders is now in 12th place on Steam's wishlist charts above big upcoming games like Slay the Spire 2 and Mafia The Old Country. To compare Marathon is in 55th place, but it's important to note that its Steam page has been up for less time than Arc Raiders. Still the difference is quite large.

Nexon said the Embark team is working on improving the game by listening to player feedback before it is released. Arc Raiders is still planned to release this year but no specific date is set yet. The latest earnings report doesn’t help in predicting the release date. Marathon is set to release on September 23. So Arc Raiders might launch shortly before or after that.

I really hope both of these projects succeed and challenge big games like Escape From Tarkov and Hunt Showdown. Right now Arc Raiders seems the most ready to compete with them which is surprising after seeing Marathon's reveal and early version. Other new games like Exoborne and Sand might also surprise us and Marathon will likely improve with its open beta. But right now Arc Raiders is leading the way.

While we wait for more information on these projects. Check out some of the top survival and FPS games for a similar experience.