Arc Raiders player numbers hit a six-month high following the release of the extraction shooter’s huge Frozen Trails update
By Image credit: Embark Studios
Arc Raiders continues to thrive nearly a year after achieving viral popularity, and it’s all due to Embark Studios’ strategic approach of releasing a significant new update, Frozen Trails, coinciding with a complimentary weekend.
This Frozen Trails update elevated the extraction shooter to version 2.0 earlier this month – on the 8th of October – and promptly resulted in an influx of Steam players drawn to its intense PvEvP confrontations. A new analysis from Alinea Analytics‘ Rhys Elliott now indicates that a comparable resurgence occurred across all platforms where the game is offered.
As per the analysis, Arc Raiders’ revival peaked with an astonishing 1.7m daily players engaging on the 14th of October, marking its highest player count in six months, predominantly driven by the previously mentioned update. Interestingly, player figures notably peaked just after the free trial weekend ended on the 12th of October – although approximately 150,000 new scavengers reportedly entered the robo-infested wasteland during that weekend.
Both occurrences coincided with the game’s steepest discount to date, reducing its price by 50% to $19.99. In the three days following the free trial, Arc Raiders sold an additional 150,000 copies, generating roughly $3m, excluding microtransactions, according to the analysis.
Embark Studios seemingly went all in this month. Frozen Trails itself impacted almost every aspect of the game, introducing a new map, new armaments, intimidating mechs, and much more.
A PvE test also aimed to cater to the game’s surprisingly amiable community between the 13th and 20th of October. Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal recently mentioned that the team is open to the concept of permanently dividing Arc Raiders’ PvEvP gameplay into distinct PvE and PvP segments. Who knows? If executed effectively, this might pave the way for another resurgence.
Earlier this month, we discovered that the production company behind this summer’s major horror film, Backrooms, is endeavoring to transform both Arc Raiders and The Finals into film and television projects.
