ARC Raiders Dev Apologizes for Countdown Teaser

Summary

Embark Studios apologized for misleading fans with a countdown teaser for ARC Raiders.
The developer admitted to mismanaging hype after announcing the October 30 release date.
Fans were left disappointed after thinking ARC Raiders would be shadow-dropped at Summer Game Fest.

An Embark Studios developer has apologized for a countdown teaser that led many to believe ARC Raiders was set to be shadow-dropped. Many in the ARC Raiders community were left disappointed after its showing at Summer Game Fest 2025, after thinking they would finally get their hands on the game.

ARC Raiders was first announced four years ago at The Game Awards 2021, and the hype for the third-person extraction shooter has only grown in the time since. A recent countdown put out by developer Embark Studios led to June 6, the date of Summer Game Fest. This led many to believe that ARC Raiders‘ release date was sooner rather than later, with a shadow-drop touted as a possibility by the community. It wasn’t an unfair assumption, given the fact that Embark’s previous title, The Finals, shadow-dropped during The Game Awards 2023. However, this time around, it was just a release date announcement.

ARC Raiders Is Already Stealing Marathon’s Thunder

Despite both being extraction shooters, the reception to ARC Raiders and Marathon could not be more different, and it has some serious implications.

Following the announcement of ARC Raiders‘ October 30 release date, an Embark Studios developer has taken to Discord to apologize for any confusion. In the statement, the studio admitted that the countdown “gave the false impression that we would be shadow dropping the game… making it a countdown to a countdown. The frustration and disappointment that followed is 100% our fault.” It was confirmed that the intent was “playful and hype-building,” although it proved to be “misleading and frustrating” for fans instead.

ARC Raiders Studio Apologizes For Not Shadow-Dropping the Game

The studio also held its hands up and said, “We mismanaged the hype, we misread the situation, and we’re sorry that this led to disappointment.” As for the next steps, the developer has claimed that “we’re putting our heads down and focusing on building the game… We need this additional time to ensure we can meet your expectations.” ARC Raiders has the potential to be the next big extraction shooter, so it’s better for the developer to take all the time needed to actually get it right.

With ARC Raiders shaping up to be one of the more exciting extraction shooters in a genre that is arguably becoming increasingly oversaturated, fans can at least take some solace in the fact that the finish line is in sight. While no shadow drop is understandably frustrating, after four years of waiting for the game to be released, four more months will go by in a flash.