Arc Raiders Slashes Cosmetic Prices, Adds Refunds & Duo Matchmaking
▼ Summary
– Arc Raiders is lowering cosmetic prices and automatically refunding the price difference to players who purchased items before November 13.
– The developer Embark Studios has enabled duo matchmaking, prioritizing duos to play with other duos after solos and squads are matched separately.
– Future Raider Decks will include free versions with gameplay items and premium versions focused on cosmetics and convenience, with no pay-to-win items.
– The North Line update launches November 13, introducing a new region, ARCs, weapons, and quests, with another update planned for December.
– Arc Raiders has sold over 4 million copies and reached 700,000 concurrent players, receiving a positive 9/10 review from IGN.
In a welcome move for its player community, Arc Raiders is implementing significant price reductions for cosmetic items in its in-game store. Developer Embark Studios announced that any player who purchased these items prior to the price change will receive an automatic refund for the price difference directly into their account. These refunds, issued in the form of Raider Tokens, are scheduled to be processed over the coming week. The new pricing structure officially goes live on November 13th.
The decision came directly from player feedback, with the studio acknowledging they had reviewed and adjusted their pricing model. While the specific new prices and the extent of the discounts were not disclosed, the change addresses community concerns where some premium cosmetic skins were criticized for costing nearly half the price of the full game itself.
Alongside the pricing overhaul, Embark Studios confirmed the recent activation of a highly requested feature: duo matchmaking. The team had been quietly testing the system and enabled it earlier in the week. The matchmaking process will prioritize placing solo players and full squads in their own separate matches first. Following that, it will attempt to match duos with other duos and trios with other trios. The developers noted that this is not a flawless system, so players might occasionally encounter teams with different player counts.
The studio also provided clarity on the Raider Deck system. Currently, one free deck is available to all players, but future plans include both free and premium decks. The developers emphasized that gameplay-affecting items will only be found in the free decks. To assist new players, the initial free Raider Deck includes some gameplay items that can be unlocked through normal progression. They firmly stated that premium Raider Decks are strictly cosmetic and convenience-focused, containing no pay-to-win elements.
These updates coincide with the launch of the game’s first major content expansion, “North Line,” on November 13th. This update introduces a brand-new region named Stella Montis, located north of the Rust Belt. Described as a cold and pristine landscape filled with the ruins of human ambition, it brings a new community event, two new ARCs called Matriarch and Shredder, fresh weapons, additional playstyles, and new quests. Another update, “Cold Snap,” is slated for release in December.
The game has been met with critical acclaim, praised for elevating the extraction shooter genre with its compelling progression systems, tense combat against both NPCs and players, and rewarding loot mechanics. Commercially, it has proven to be a massive success, selling over four million copies globally in under two weeks and achieving a peak concurrent player count of 700,000 across all platforms.
(Source: IGN)
