Embark drops auction house plans for Arc Raiders after testing

Pcgamer reports Embark Studios says it will not add an Escape From Tarkov-style auction house to Arc Raiders after trying one during development and finding it made the game less fun, according to design lead Virgil Watkins in an interview with GamesRadar+.

Watkins said the studio is enjoying the organic trading culture that has emerged and is instead "leaning into the aspect of social facilitation in that sense of our design." The game’s workshop is balanced so crafting items is usually the better deal, but upgrading the workshop takes time and effort; auction houses let players buy guns instantly based on market prices, a convenience Watkins found tended to become the default.

Plans for trading are not set in stone, Watkins added, and Embark would rather keep trading manual and in-person. He said the team may try an offer system where a player holds an item out and someone interacts with it to take it, which he described as feeling better than simply dropping items on the floor. His chat with GamesRadar also touched on plans for several new maps in 2026 and Embark's view on pre-set loadouts.

Key Topics

Culture, Embark Studios, Arc Raiders, Virgil Watkins, Auction House, Workshop