Embark Studios is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm, founded in November 2018 by Patrick Söderlund alongside Magnus Nordin, Rob Runesson, Stefan Strandberg, Jenny Huldschiner, and Johan Andersson, several of whom came from DICE, where Söderlund had spent nearly two decades as a key figure behind Battlefield, Star Wars Battlefront, and Mirror’s Edge. Nexon completed the full acquisition of Embark in 2021, and the studio operates as a Nexon subsidiary while maintaining independent creative direction. Embark has built a reputation for using AI-driven tools, machine learning, and procedural pipelines to produce high-fidelity games with smaller teams than comparably ambitious titles typically require.
The Finals was Embark’s first released title, a free-to-play first-person shooter built around destructible environments that launched in December 2023. The core concept is a televised game show where players compete in teams across maps that can be systematically demolished, with the destruction itself becoming a tactical element rather than set dressing. It attracted over 10 million players in its first two weeks and established Embark as a studio capable of sustaining a live-service game. The Finals continues to receive seasonal content updates alongside ARC Raiders.
ARC Raiders had one of the more turbulent development cycles in recent memory before becoming one of the bigger success stories of 2025. Originally announced at The Game Awards 2021 as a free-to-play cooperative shooter, the game was redesigned mid-development into a PvPvE extraction shooter, delayed multiple times, and switched from free-to-play to a $40 premium model before finally releasing on October 30, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Internal playtests had determined the game simply was not fun despite its technical quality, leading the team to reset the design with a clear intent on core pillars rather than feature breadth. The reset worked. ARC Raiders sold four million copies in its first two weeks, reached a peak of 960,000 concurrent players, and had sold 14 million copies worldwide by February 2026. It won Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2025 and Online Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards. Nexon CEO Junghun Lee described it as the biggest global launch in Nexon’s history. A partnership with Tencent will bring the game to China, and the studio has committed to a content roadmap extending through 2026 and beyond.
Embark has been vocal about using machine learning and AI tools throughout their pipeline, including procedural content generation and AI-driven animation systems. The studio has also faced criticism for using AI-generated voice lines in ARC Raiders, which some players and developers flagged as an attempt to replace voice actors. Embark denied using generative AI for voices, stating they hired voice actors and used text-to-speech as part of those actors’ contracts, and later re-recorded some lines with human actors after release. The controversy sits alongside a broader industry conversation about AI in game development that Embark is at the center of whether they want to be or not.
Nexon completed the acquisition of Embark Studios in 2021, integrating it as a subsidiary while allowing the studio to operate with significant autonomy. The $96 million investment from Nexon preceded the full acquisition. ARC Raiders’ commercial success has vindicated what was initially a skeptical reception to the deal, with Nexon now positioning Embark as a flagship Western studio and a source of technology and talent that benefits the broader Nexon portfolio.