Topic / Subject
Embark says ARC Raiders does not use “aggression-based matchmaking,” pushing back on viral claims about “friendly vs sweaty” lobbies.

TL;DR
This is a pretty direct debunk: the devs say the system isn’t a binary switch between “safe” and “sweaty,” and “ABMM” isn’t how they describe what’s happening.

Key Details

• Embark design director Virgil Watkins says matchmaking isn’t split into “friendly” vs “aggressive” lobbies in a binary way, per PC Gamer.
• Watkins also pushes back on the “aggression-based matchmaking” label, describing behavior as more of a longer-term pattern than a single moment, per PC Gamer.
• Embark acknowledges some sessions are feeling “safer” for players, but says PvP tension is still a core ingredient for ARC Raiders, per GamesRadar.
• Players are still claiming the game “quietly changed” into more aggressive matchmaking, but no specific change is confirmed in these reports.

Breakdown
If you’ve been online in the last week, you’ve seen the panic: players insisting ARC Raiders secretly sorts you into “friendly” lobbies… until it decides you’ve been “aggressive,” then throws you into sweat city.

Embark’s answer is basically: that framing is not real. Per PC Gamer, Watkins says matchmaking isn’t “binary,” and there’s “no such thing” as a clean “friendly” lobby vs “aggressive” lobby label.

GamesRadar adds the other half of the message: yes, the team sees players enjoying “safer” feeling runs, but PvP pressure is still part of the game’s DNA. Translation: expect tension to remain a feature, not a bug.

Will this end the discourse? Probably not. “Matchmaking feels different” is the one gaming argument that never dies, because population shifts, time-of-day, party size, and player learning curves can all make lobbies feel wildly different without a single hidden “mode” switch.

What to Watch Next

• Patch notes that mention matchmaking tuning (if Embark ever changes anything, it’ll show up here first).
• Dev clarifications on what signals they do (or don’t) track long-term.
• Community testing: does the “safer lobbies” feeling hold across regions and peak hours?
• Any official statement specifically addressing “quietly changed” claims.

Sources

• Insider Gaming — Embark Confirms ARC Raiders Does Not Use Aggression-Based Matchmaking
• PC Gamer — Arc Raiders’ matchmaking isn’t “binary”…
• GamesRadar — Arc Raiders “needs that element of tension and risk”…

Comment
Have your ARC Raiders lobbies felt “safer,” or is this whole thing just confirmation bias?