A developer in charge of machine learning for ARC Raiders has said that he would love to add a feature inspired by the Hoth invasion scene in Star Wars, but that the game’s designers don’t believe it fits into the overall vision right now. While ARC Raiders is now approaching its sixth-month anniversary, Embark has already added tons of new content to the game, but with plans to support the shooter for a decade, some developers are seemingly aiming to add some major features to the game during its lifespan.
Earlier this year, Embark revealed the official 2026 roadmap for ARC Raiders, detailing four major content updates between January and April. The third patch, known as Flashpoint, launched on the final day of March, adding a deadly new map condition, a terrifying new ARC threat, two new weapons, and much more. Now the community is gearing up for the final confirmed update of the roadmap, Riven Tides, which is set to add a new large ARC enemy, presumably similar to the Queen or Matriarch, and a brand-new map, which will be the first since Stella Montis was added to the game late last year.
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Following the recent March 31 Flashpoint update, an ARC Raiders player stumbles upon a new bug that prevents them from taking fire damage.
ARC Raiders Devs Want to Add Star Wars-Inspired Machine Takedowns
It’s no secret that ARC Raiders has been a massive success for Embark Studios, and there are a multitude of reasons for that. One of which is related to the PvE side of ARC Raiders, the ARC themselves. Whether it’s a Leaper or the imposing Matriarch, ARC enemies are formidable and even use machine learning to constantly evolve how they traverse different types of terrain. Being so physics-based, there are tons of opportunities Embark has to continue evolving the ARC, and it seems some are eager to bring a Star Wars-inspired feature to the game, akin to the Hoth invasion scene from The Empire Strikes Back.
In a new interview with GamesRadar, machine learning research lead Martin Singh-Blom discussed using new tools and techniques to develop ideas that weren’t previously possible. “Those of us who really work with the physics and make things happen with physics of course want more physics in the game at every turn,” the developer told the outlet while at GDC. He then goes on to say, “We want ropes to pull at legs and wires to trip them, like the Hoth invasion scene in Star Wars where they have the speeders and wrap up the legs. We could do that if we just had better rope physics, right?”
Singh-Blom says new features like those are constantly being pushed for by the team, but the designers believe it “doesn’t fit [into ARC Raiders] right now.” He explains how the design team is much more focused on the immediate stuff that is required, while the research team is looking to do new and innovative things with new technology. As it’s no secret that ARC Raiders shifted its development from PvE to PvPvE, Singh-Blom also says he would love to explore the idea of bringing back cut ideas, such as adding shock absorption to the legs of ARC. “I think we could get much nicer, smoother gaits, but when we try that, the physics don’t like it and things get wobbly and the simulation gets bad, and it’s very hard for the robots to look good in those settings for some reason.”
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It’s clear that the team has some amazing ideas for the future of ARC Raiders, but fans likely shouldn’t expect any Star Wars-inspired machine takedowns any time soon, as the technology involved in creating the physics behind such a feature likely takes a long time to develop. The good news is that there’s plenty of new content coming to the game in the immediate future. Fans just received the massive Flashpoint update for ARC Raiders, and now Riven Tides is just a few weeks away. What the studio has planned for after the April update remains a mystery, but with the game being a massive success, and Embark already stating it will support the game for the next 10 years, players can expect plenty more content in the coming months.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
