Overview
- Developers describe early years of conflicting visions and daily “playtest battles” before pivoting from a PvE boss race to a PvPvE extraction shooter built on the studio’s PvP expertise.
- Nexon agreed to fund a last attempt as Embark shrank the active team from about 120 to 25 to execute a focused reset.
- Initial validation tests showed substantial negative PvP sentiment tied to weapon balance, matchmaking and solo-vs-squad friction, while looting rated around 1.4 against a target of 3 before improvements.
- To achieve a more tactical feel, the team slowed overall movement by roughly 60% and removed high-mobility elements like jump pads while reining in the Snap Hook.
- Arc machine designs and AI were reworked or cut after poor feedback, helping flip sentiment, and the released game went on to sell 14 million copies in its first three months as a strong PvE-oriented subcommunity emerged.