ARC Raiders Is a $40 Game Partly Because of Helldivers 2 1

While many of the most popular games these days are free-to-play, there's still plenty of room to find success with a premium release model, and ARC Raiders is a prime example.

It was initially planned to be a free game, but switched to a traditional launch with a price tag, and has been hugely popular regardless.

Speaking in an interview with GamesBeat, Embark Studios founder Patrick Söderlund explains the rationale behind the game's $40 price point. It seems the similarly successful Helldivers 2 — also $40 — is partly responsible.

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"It's something we discussed as the game went from free-to-play to a traditional business model," he says. "We basically looked at games like [Helldivers 2] and other games and decided, 'OK, that is where we should sit'."

He's pleased with the game's price point, saying that because it's "relatively affordable" it encourages more people to "come in and try the game".

On top of that, Söderlund says the team wanted to ensure the game provided value for money. "We didn't have a campaign, so we figured we don't want the price to be an offender for someone. We'd rather make people feel like it's totally worth 40 bucks."

We'd say it's definitely worked out for Embark; the extraction shooter has been consistently popular since launch, with sales estimated to be in the region of 12 million.

Are you happy with ARC Raider's price, or would you have rather it used the free-to-play model instead? Tell us in the comments section below.

[source youtube.com, via eurogamer.net, gamesradar.com]