Why is Arc Raiders cheaper than most triple-A games? Thanks to Helldivers 2, mostly

Embark Studios' founder Patrick Soderlund has stated that Arc Raiders, a game initially meant to release as a free-to-play title, launched as a $40 premium price point in part due to Helldivers 2's approach.

Speaking to Gamesbeat, Soderlund stated: "It's something we discussed as the game went from free-to-play to a traditional business model. We basically looked at games like Helldivers and other games and decided, 'OK, that is where we should sit'

Soderlund continued: "We made that decision, whether that was right or wrong one can argue. I like the fact that the game is relatively affordable and that people can come in and try the game."

A further reason why the $40 price point was decided was a desire to sell the game without its cost acting as an "offender" to anyone, given that Arc Raiders is a purely multiplayer game without a campaign. Soderlund remarked: "We'd rather make people feel like it's totally worth 40 bucks. I hope that people, given how much time they seem to spend in the game, feel like we've given them value for money. That's where we want to be."

It appears to have been the correct decision. According to analyst estimates, Arc Raiders recently passed the 12m sales milestone, bringing in over $350m in revenue. It also was one of Steam's best selling games over the Christmas period, thanks in part to a well-timed discount as well as an ongoing wave of positive word-of-mouth.

Part of this word of mouth surrounds the interesting social dynamics at play in Arc Raiders, with a significant portion of the community opting out of PvP gameplay where they can. This, supported by matchmaking that takes aggressiveness into account, has resulted in a surprisingly friendly extraction shooter for many players.