adminEmbark Studios AI use in Arc Raiders has drawn criticism, but the studio says the response has not fundamentally changed its approach. Art director Virgil Watkins described a measured position: the team wants to assess whether a tool helps it make something valuable, rather than expanding AI use without a clear purpose.
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Embark Studios AI use and its approach to new tools
Watkins explained that the studio considers how each tool contributes to the game. In the case of text-to-speech, the technology enabled voiced characters at a time when the team did not have the capacity to produce them through other means. That earlier constraint may no longer apply in the same way, so the studio can reassess both the method and the result.
Quality is part of that review. Watkins acknowledged that the outcome may not have met the intended standard, leaving room to reconsider how or why the technology is used. His comments do not amount to a commitment to adopt AI across every part of development; instead, they point to evaluating tools according to their specific benefit.
Why the studio is exploring emerging technology
Watkins said Embark will continue exploring emerging technology and building tools internally where useful. He connected that work to the studio’s ability to create content with the team size it has. The aim, as described, is to find practical ways to support production—not simply to use AI because it is available.
For players following the debate, it is helpful to distinguish between a particular application, such as text-to-speech, and a studio-wide policy on AI. Embark’s comments concern evaluating individual tools, their quality, and their contribution to development. Watkins also said the studio is aware of public concerns, indicating that feedback remains part of the conversation even though it has not shifted the company’s overall outlook.
What Embark has said about its workforce
In separate remarks, Embark Studios founder and CEO Patrick Söderlund said the company was not using AI to reduce its investment in people. He described game development as a people-focused industry amid criticism of AI use across the studio’s releases, including Arc Raiders.
Arc Raiders recently reached 12 million copies sold and more than 3.2 million daily active users (DAUs). Those figures provide context for the game’s reach, while the discussion around AI remains focused on how development tools are selected and assessed.
Conclusion: Embark Studios AI use remains under review
Embark Studios AI use, according to Watkins, is not an open-ended push to add AI everywhere. The studio says it weighs whether a tool enables useful work, whether the result meets its quality expectations, and whether the approach should be revised. For players, those distinctions offer a clearer picture of the studio’s stated position than treating all AI applications as the same.
