Arc Raiders Director Calls Overlapping Playtests with Bungie’s Marathon a Valuable A/B Test

When Embark Studios launched its Arc Raiders playtest almost simultaneously with Bungie’s long-anticipated Marathon, no one expected it to turn into an industry-wide comparison. But for Virgil Watkins, design director on Arc Raiders, the timing turned out to be a blessing in disguise – a rare chance to observe how two distinct takes on the extraction shooter genre would resonate with players in real time.

In a candid discussion with PC Gamer, Watkins described it as a “great A/B test” that provided valuable insights for Embark’s team.

According to Watkins, the overlapping playtests were entirely coincidental. “To my knowledge, none of us planned it,” he explained. “But it gave us the opportunity to compare how different design decisions landed. They went one direction, we went another, and that contrast revealed a lot about what works in each context.” He emphasized how watching the player reactions across both games helped his team understand subtle nuances – from pacing and atmosphere to mechanics and player agency. The shared timing created a natural experiment for two studios approaching the same genre with different philosophies.

Bungie’s Marathon, a reboot of its cult 1990s sci-fi series, is positioned as a moody, competitive extraction shooter. While still in closed technical testing, early glimpses have shown an emphasis on environmental storytelling, prox chat, and the eerie, abstract visual style Bungie has become known for. Watkins admitted he found its art direction “very evocative,” adding, “I’m personally curious to see how that evolves. It’s good to have multiple studios exploring this space in their own ways.”

For Arc Raiders, meanwhile, the recent ‘Server Slam’ playtest was a major milestone. Over the weekend, the game surged to more than 189,000 concurrent players on Steam, making it not only one of the platform’s top-played games but also the biggest extraction shooter debut in Steam history. The successful test bodes well for its upcoming October 30 release, suggesting strong anticipation and potentially a breakout hit for Embark. The studio’s mix of third-person combat, dynamic world events, and retro-futuristic atmosphere seems to have struck a chord with players looking for something fresh in a genre dominated by darker, slower-paced competitors.

By contrast, Bungie’s Marathon is still finding its footing. Following an indefinite delay from its original September 2025 launch window, the studio has been re-evaluating its approach after receiving what it described as “varied” player feedback. Bungie acknowledged community concerns directly: “Your voice has been strong and clear. We’ve taken it to heart and need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion.” The new technical test – running October 22–28 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC – is focused on early player experience, retuned combat pacing, and rebalanced solo queue options.

Interestingly, both Arc Raiders and Marathon share a corporate connection: Sony owns both Embark’s parent company and Bungie. Some fans have noted the irony of one Sony-backed shooter potentially competing directly against another. Still, the diversity of tone and design between the two projects suggests Sony is hedging its bets across different segments of the live-service market. Arc Raiders offers a colorful, cooperative survival experience grounded in physics-driven gameplay, while Marathon seems intent on becoming a more cerebral, lore-heavy extraction title.

For Watkins and his team, the lesson from this unplanned A/B test is clear: competition drives improvement. “It’s been interesting and useful,” he said, “to see where we diverge and where we might converge again in the future. Ultimately, both communities will shape where these games go next.” As the extraction shooter space matures, that blend of rivalry and inspiration might be exactly what keeps the genre alive.