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Embark continually receives questions asking if Arc Raiders will add first-person, but now the game’s design director, Virgil Watkins, has confirmed that adding the POV is a “very implausible” prospect. Speaking to PCGamer, Watkins acknowledged there are multiplayer shooters like Helldivers 2 that offer both third and first-person perspectives, however, adding first-person wouldn’t provide any benefit for Arc Raiders.
Watkins explained that so much of the game’s immersion stems from the third-person view as it’s all “amplified by the quality that’s come from our animation team and our audio team and our environment team, that it works together as this very nice package”.
The design director elaborated, “That’s not to say that’s not possible in first person, but [third person] did work so well for us that we never even really looked at first person”. Watkins further argues that exploring first-person “would cause [Embark] to have to re-evaluate so much of how our areas are built and the way they’re laid out, because you get very specific sight lines once you go first person.”
Aside from issues involving design, Watkins also pointed to technical considerations such as quality of assets. While Arc Raiders looks impressive from an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, the design director admitted, “Once you start being able to put your face right up against an asset, it [the immersion] kind of falls apart.”
Arc Raiders is Not Getting First-Person
Unfortunately, for anyone unwilling to play Arc Raiders because it’s third-person only, that isn’t going to change. While Watkins’ “very implausible” comments leave the door slightly ajar, the chances of Arc Raiders ever adding a first-person mode are very low.
Embark’s reasons for not adding first-person are understandable. The game was designed completely with third-person in mind, and big changes would need to be made to accommodate an optional first-person perspective. This could make things messy and result in a lesser experience for both point-of-views.
Fortunately, we only have to wait until October 30th for the full release. The Sever Slam was a massive success, even though some fans noticed a downgrade in graphics from Technical Test 2, to which Embark has responded.
Unlike the Server Slam, the full release isn’t free-to-play as originally intended. You can pre-order the game right now and Embark has reduced the price in some regions.
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