Former Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney reckons he knows why Arc Raiders developer Embark has been so successful compared to other veteran-led studios: because the people in charge actually care about something other than money. And Mahoney would know - under Nexon he bought Arc Raiders studio Embark thanks to the live-service game's promise.
Talking to The Game Business, Mahoney was asked what differentiates a certified live-service hit like Arc Raiders from a massive bomb like PlayStation's Concord. Both games were made by studios led by developers with experience on beloved IP - Arc Raiders developer Embark is made up of former Battlefield developers, while the now defunct Concord team was an all-star lineup of former Bungie, Respawn, and BioWare devs - and yet, one game has been an undeniable success and the other was one of the most high-profile failures of the last few years.
