Arc Raiders’ streaming audience took another massive hit as Ninja and TimTheTatman both went on record to say that they are done with the game. The streamers’ frustrations with the game stem from the epidemic of stream snipers and cheaters that plague Arc Raiders in its current form. The news comes as a particularly tough blow, given the recent release of Arc Raiders’ Riven Tides update earlier the same day.
Related—ARC Raiders Riven Tides patch notes: New map, ARC Turbine enemy, Bettina buffs
Ninja says Arc Raiders is “Unplayable”, announces another hiatus from streaming
This isn’t the first time Ninja has publicly voiced his frustrations with Arc Raiders. Earlier in April, Ninja announced an indefinite break from streaming, saying hackers had ruined Arc Raiders. Now, weeks later, Ninja jumped back into the game to check out the Riven Tides update, but was met with the same problems, namely stream snipers and cheaters.
I’m not gonna die to cheaters and stream snipers again. Nothing’s changed.—Ninja
Just three hours into his return, Ninja was forced to quit the game, calling it flat-out “unplayable”, at least for streamers. Despite his poor experience with it, Ninja still praised the latest update to the game, saying “if you guys are not streamers, it should be a blast.” The session ended with an announcement of yet another indefinite streaming break.
TimTheTatman: “I just don’t have a desire [to play Arc Raiders]”
TimTheTatman’s recent comments have echoed Ninja’s frustrations with the game. Previously, the streamer had criticised Embark Studios for not banning cheaters from the game, recalling his own experience with cheating stream snipers during his time playing Arc Raiders. Now, he has made his views on a return to the game explicitly clear.
If they want to do an ad, sure, I’ll check out an update or something, but otherwise, no. I just don’t have a desire.—TimTheTatman
For a game that relies on streamer visibility to drive player interest, having a creator of Tim’s reach say he’d only touch it again for a paycheck is its own kind of damning verdict.
Departing streamers could be the nail in the Arc Raiders coffin
Arc Raiders was the streamer’s darling just months ago, with peak viewership sitting around 300,000 across Twitch and a whopping 3,700 channels streaming the game on average across February 2026. But in April, despite big content updates, the game has managed just 87,000 viewers at peak, with just 1,800 streamers playing the game. The same decline can also be seen in the game’s Steam charts, with peaks dropping from 375,000 to 158,000 over the same period.
Ninja and TimTheTatman join the growing number of dissatisfied streamers who have left the game due to targetted stream sniping. And the issue has been a known talking point since at least early 2026, when Embark Studios publicly acknowledged the problem and promised improvements. If the Riven Tides update couldn’t bring Ninja back for more than three hours, it’s hard to imagine what will.
