How Marathon’s Beta Test Became a Valuable A/B Test for Arc Raiders, Insights from the Technical Director

Virgil Watkins, the technical director of Arc Raiders, has shared that the timing of their April playtest coinciding with Marathon’s closed beta was purely coincidental. However, he viewed it as an unexpected opportunity for an A/B test for Embark Studios’ extraction shooter.

Arc Raiders recently wrapped up its final open beta, called the server slam, before its official launch on October 30th. The game has built significant buzz over its development period, particularly after the excitement generated by Marathon’s prior beta. Players found themselves comparing the two games and, in many cases, favored Arc Raiders.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Watkins reflected on this unique situation, stating, “It was very coincidental that they had their test around the time we did. We could compare and contrast how some of those decisions shook out.”

In a recent weekend, the contrasting paths of Arc Raiders and Marathon became evident. Arc Raiders peaked at nearly 100,000 concurrent players on PC during its opening hours, indicating strong enthusiasm for the game. Meanwhile, Marathon faced criticism. Players expressed disappointment with certain design choices like the absence of solo queue and proximity chat. To worsen matters, the game was mired in a plagiarism controversy, leaving many questioning its originality.

After being delayed from its initial September launch, Marathon will have another chance to regain player interest with a new open beta from October 22nd to 27th. This period aligns closely with Arc Raiders’ release, intensifying competition between the two. Will Arc Raiders dominate the extraction shooter scene? Or can Marathon recover lost trust? We’ll find out very soon.

As the gaming industry continues to evolve, it’s crucial to look at recent statistics. In 2022, the global gaming market was valued at over $200 billion, demonstrating the massive audience both games aim to capture. This growing landscape is both a challenge and an opportunity for new titles like these. Fans are eager for fresh experiences, and it will be interesting to see how each game carves out its niche in this competitive arena.

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