ARC Raiders: Embark Wants Speranza to Be a True Social Hub (Like Destiny or Monster Hunter)
Embark Studios’ CEO wants to transform Speranza, ARC Raiders’ main city, into a genuine social hub where players can finally cross paths. It’s a bold pivot inspired by Destiny 2 and Monster Hunter—one that could completely redefine the game’s identity.
In a lengthy interview with IGN, Patrick Söderlund, Embark Studios’ CEO, laid out his vision for the future of ARC Raiders. Between new instruments, anti-cheat efforts, and smarter matchmaking, it’s Speranza’s fate that really stands out: as Embark gears up for the second expedition, Söderlund says the city is “massively underused” and imagines it as much more than just a glorified menu.
Image credit: Embark Studios
Speranza “underused”: the CEO’s verdict
Right now, Speranza is basically a fancy menu. It’s the launchpad between expeditions, but it’s just a series of static screens and backgrounds. You manage your inventory, start a mission, and you’re out. No wandering, no chance encounters, no real life. For a game that’s been stacking updates since Headwinds, it’s a surprising blind spot.
Söderlund doesn’t hide it: “I think Speranza is heavily underutilized, personally. I think that’s something that we want to, probably, improve and make into something else.” The Embark boss sees untapped narrative and social potential in the city. Speranza could also deepen ARC Raiders’ lore—something the community has been clamoring for since launch. This isn’t just a cosmetic tweak: it’s about reimagining how this space fits into the game’s whole experience.
Destiny and Monster Hunter inspiration: hubs that work
Söderlund’s blueprint? The social hubs that have proven themselves elsewhere. In Destiny 2, the Tower is a bustling crossroads where dozens of players mingle, chat with vendors, and show off their gear. In Monster Hunter, multiplayer lobbies let you size each other up, arm wrestle, or prep for a hunt together. These aren’t just content—they’re the social glue that binds play sessions together.
Virgil Watkins, design lead at Embark, confirmed that this kind of hub was on the table from the start when developing the front-end. The team ultimately went with a launch focused on usability—prioritizing smooth navigation over spatial immersion. A pragmatic call for a studio releasing only its second game. But now that ARC Raiders has found its audience—over 10 million players—the game has changed. Söderlund asks outright: “Could you meet up with people there? Could that be a social hub to some extent?” The answer seems all but written.
“Believing in humanity”: ARC Raiders’ unexpected social DNA
What makes this rethink of Speranza so compelling is that ARC Raiders’ social DNA wasn’t planned. Söderlund admits it: when you build a game with sandbox elements, player behavior gets unpredictable. Spontaneous acts of kindness—a stranger reviving you after an Arc smash, a squad escorting a vulnerable player—have surprised even the devs. “I, personally, am touched by all the social elements to this game and the things that make me and, I think, everyone else, believe in humanity again,” the CEO confides.
The wildest anecdote comes from a friend of Söderlund’s, a neurology professor, who told him after playing: “Listen, you have no idea what you’ve built. Forget about the game itself. From just the whole idea of psychological experimentation and social experimentation, and what this game can be.” She even suggested collaborating with the medical field to study the behaviors ARC Raiders triggers. Embark probably won’t go that far, but the fact that a scientist sees the game as a social experiment says a lot about what’s happening in its lobbies.
From instruments to fireworks: when fun trumps gameplay
This social side is also fueled by pure fun—starting with musical instruments. Söderlund doesn’t hide his frustration: “I was so upset that we only had one at launch.” He calls himself the team’s biggest champion for these items. Plenty of instruments were already designed and built, but didn’t make it in at launch—the devs wanted to be sure they could be played in harmony, not just solo. Fun fact: every sound was recorded by Embark’s own staff.
Fireworks follow the same logic. Söderlund admits he doubted their usefulness at first—until he saw the memorable moments they sparked in-game. His takeaway is crystal clear: ARC Raiders needs more things that exist just “because they’re fun,” with no gameplay justification needed. It’s this blend of extraction tension and social lightness that gives the game its unique flavor.
Matchmaking and anti-cheat: live-service challenges
Turning Speranza into a social hub won’t spare Embark from tackling the core headaches of a successful live-service game. On the cheating front, the numbers speak for themselves: “We have banned probably tens of thousands of players so far,” says Söderlund. The cheater rate sits between 0.1% and 1% of the player base—a typical range for a multiplayer game of this scale. Embark’s three-strike system shows a gradual approach, from temporary suspensions to permanent bans, with a clear intent not to punish unfairly.
Arc Raiders is in the process of implementing a "three strikes progressive ban system" where players will progress from 30, 60 and finally a permanent ban for repeat offenders.
— ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) January 27, 2026
Thoughts? I think if you're actually cheating then it should be an immediate perma ban. No strikes. pic.twitter.com/tARHT3ZsWm
Matchmaking is the other ongoing project. Contrary to what many players think, the system doesn’t just sort PvE and PvP profiles. It analyzes aiming skills against AI, skills against other players, and folds in a bunch of other factors Söderlund calls “way more sophisticated.” More systems are in the works and could roll out soon, as live-service challenges keep the team on their toes daily.
With a social hub to reinvent, instruments to unlock, and matchmaking to fine-tune, Embark is steering ARC Raiders on a path far beyond your typical extraction shooter. The second expedition is coming—and with it, the chance for Speranza to finally become the beating heart this game deserves.
ARC Raiders, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
