TheBurntPeanut, arguably the largest, most prominent content creator currently representing ARC Raiders, settled a blunt ultimatum to developer Embark Studios: fix the cheating escalation, or lose one of the biggest advocates for the game. During his latest stream, the streamer – usually cheerful and upbeat – expressed unusual fatigue after rounds became defeated due to bad actors. The ultimatum heralds a significant shift for the community, as it brings to the forefront some increasingly apparent gulf between the ambitious design of the game and its current security measures.
Cheating tends to be one of the most lethal ingredients as regards any longevity in extraction shooters. With the stakes raised—loss of gear—personal violation caused by unfair advantages grows too perceptibly in the minds of the player base. For a title still very much shuffling in its shoes, public declaration by its utmost “face” on Twitch and YouTube that “I’m out of here, man” unless changes are made is a PR nightmare. TheBurntPeanut’s frustration is more than a lost game; it also reflects an otherwise perceived lack of urgency from developers in addressing some technical exploits.
Embark Studios has not received such pressure only once about competitive integrity, but it was the glare of publicity on this grievance that put the studio in a conundrum. Unlike other players threatening to leave, a community leader of such stature usually triggers a canary-in-the-coalmine effect that may drive away many of the casual player base perceiving their time as disrespected. The sour moods initiated suddenly within the ARC Raiders community, with many now echoing the streamer on what would draw strong anti-cheat protocols and more clear messages regarding ban waves.
The ball is definitely in Embark’s court for now. To keep the momentum rolling with their fresh shooter, they now need to show they will really follow through beyond the regular boilerplate response of just talking fair play. The album should be familiar to veterans of the genre: what makes or breaks the endurance of a promising game is less likely to be based on its mechanics than on the developer’s ability to police its own world. Whether or not TheBurntPeanut will remain a key part of the game’s streaming presence will depend largely on how fast the studio can deliver a meaningful fix.
