Nexon subsidiary Embark Studios' "ARC Raiders"/ Courtesy of Nexon

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SEOUL, December 05 (AJP) - Nexon's ARC Raiders has crossed 7 million global sales just over a month after launch, spawning the rise of what industry watchers are calling a new "K-extraction shooter" genre defined by communal play, lower violence and robot-target gun-down.

Developed by Nexon subsidiary Embark Studios, ARC Raiders logged 400,000 cumulative sales within two weeks of its Oct. 30 release. Steam concurrency rose from 350,000 in the first weekend to 480,000 by week three, signaling durable demand rather than an early-launch spike.

The extraction shooter format—where players risk losing all collected items upon death—has traditionally remained a niche, high-pressure genre. The brutal penalty system attracted dedicated enthusiasts but deterred broader audiences.

ARC Raiders dismantles that barrier with a free-loadout system giving all players basic weapons and recovery items at no cost, softening the sting of failure and encouraging experimentation.

The shift to a third-person perspective—rare in extraction shooters dominated by first-person modes—creates a wider field of view suited to its heavy PvE structure, where squads or solo raiders fight imposing AI-trained robotic enemies called Arcs.

Graphics by AJP Song Ji-yoon

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Just as notable is the community culture reshaping the game.

Instead of the cutthroat PvP typical of the genre, players increasingly signal truces with in-game emotes and form spontaneous alliances to fight towering robot bosses.

"It's more psychologically layered than your typical run-and-gun shooter," said Lee Jae-hyeong, a 27-year-old player. "Do I pull the trigger, or do we haul the loot together? The satisfaction comes from playing the long game."

Steam forums brim with stories of strangers forming temporary groups of three to five to tackle high-tier enemies. Solo lobbies, players say, are filled with "overly friendly" raiders who naturally lean toward cooperation.

The official Discord server has surged to roughly 683,000 members, generating faction groups and informal codes of conduct. One faction, the "Civilians of Speranza," drafted internal rules prohibiting PvP, requiring members to revive downed players, and mandating a uniform.

Steam achievement data shows about 17 percent of PC players have never knocked out another raider, and more than half engage in minimal PvP—opting instead for robot hunting and resource gathering. The community's unofficial mantra, "It's us against the clankers, gentlemen," captures the game's human-versus-robot ethos.

Critical reception has been equally strong. IGN awarded ARC Raiders a score of nine out of ten, calling it the new standard for extraction shooters, while GameSpot praised it as "totally unpredictable, immersive, thrilling."

On Steam, about 209,000 user reviews show an 89 percent positive rating. The title topped Steam sales charts across Asian markets including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.

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"We are delighted that many players have praised ARC Raiders for its accessible design that lowers entry barriers and its high level of immersion," a Nexon spokesperson told AJP.

"It is truly meaningful that the game earned a nomination for The Game Awards less than a month after launch. We will continue to do our best to deliver quality service."

The breakout success is fueling broader interest in Korean-made extraction shooters. Krafton will run the first closed alpha test for PUBG: Black Budget on Dec. 12–14 and Dec. 19–21. The first-person extraction title is set on an island permeated with supernatural phenomena, leveraging Battlegrounds intellectual property to draw global fans.

Kakao Games subsidiary XL Games will roll out The Cube, Save Us in the first quarter of next year. The large-scale extraction action game supports up to 63 players competing to gather resources inside a massive alien-made cube while battling monsters and rival players.
WemadeMax is preparing a January early-access launch on Steam for Midnight Walkers, a zombie-apocalypse extraction shooter that has already accumulated around 300,000 wishlists, emphasizing night exploration and high-tension survival.

Memes related to Nexon's "ARC Raiders" from Reddit/ Captured from Reddit

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The cluster of upcoming releases points to a fast-forming K-extraction shooter ecosystem—one that blends Korean-style cooperative culture with hardcore genre mechanics, widening the appeal of a once-exclusive category for global audiences.
Kim Dong-young 수습기자 davekim0807@ajupress.com

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