The brutal reality of live service development has finally been laid bare by Embark Studios’ executive producer, Aleksander Grøndal. Speaking candidly about the challenges his team faced with the massive hit game Arc Raiders, Grøndal reveals that even a successful launch can quickly turn into a nightmare when it comes to maintaining the demands of millions of players.
With over 16 million players hanging on every update, Embark found itself constantly struggling to keep up. Despite its best efforts, the studio was forced to admit defeat and ditch monthly updates in a bid to alleviate pressure on its team. Grøndal’s comments, made at Gamescom earlier this year, paint a stark picture of just how overwhelming it can be to balance the needs of a live service game with the demands of its workforce.
“We were constantly overshooting our capacity,” Grøndal admits, “and so it was hard to plan when there’s so much to do.” The studio had initially envisioned a certain pace for updating Arc Raiders, but the reality turned out to be far more demanding. With players expecting new content on a monthly basis, Embark found itself racing against time to deliver. The result? Burnout, plain and simple.
Grøndal shares a personal story of his own burnout experience during his 15-year tenure at Electronic Arts. “I was burned out,” he recalls. “We’d just shipped a Battlefield game, and I kept pushing so hard that I had to take a break for five months and go on sick leave because I was completely broken.” It’s a stark reminder of the human cost of live service development, where the pressure to constantly produce new content can quickly lead to exhaustion.
So what did Embark do to rectify the situation? The studio made the bold decision to rethink its workflows and recapture the pre-launch magic. By taking a step back and re-evaluating their priorities, Grøndal’s team was able to create a more sustainable approach to live service development. “We asked ourselves ‘why are we doing this?’ and everything pointed towards the fact that we were doing it better before shipping,” he explains.
The decision to ditch monthly updates has clearly been a relief for Embark’s team, who can now focus on creating high-quality content rather than racing against time. As Grøndal puts it, “It gives us time to work things out instead of just shipping, shipping, shipping. We can actually iterate.” It’s a refreshing change of pace, one that prioritizes the well-being of both players and developers.
For VR fans, this story serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by live service game developers. Despite the success of Arc Raiders, Embark’s struggles highlight the need for more sustainable approaches to game development. By prioritizing the needs of its workforce and acknowledging the risks of burnout, Embark Studios is paving the way for a healthier industry.
As we continue to push the boundaries of immersive gaming, it’s essential that we recognize the human cost of live service development. By supporting studios like Embark and advocating for better working conditions, we can help create an industry that values both creativity and well-being. The future of VR/XR depends on it – let’s make sure we’re not sacrificing our people in pursuit of success.
Source: Game Developer XR — 2026-09-29