EA fans have unearthed that Arc Raiders, the anticipated extraction shooter from Embark Studios, is facing censorship on the chat platform of EA’s PC app. In recent months, online extraction shooters received their share of backlash, particularly following the problematic reveal of Marathon by Bungie several months ago. Notwithstanding this, excitement continues to build for Arc Raiders, a visually appealing third-person sci-fi shooter scheduled for release later this year.
Arc Raiders
Moreover, there’s been an uptick in buzz surrounding EA’s impending launch of Battlefield 6. The gameplay trailers for both the campaign and multiplayer features have gained impressive traction, indicating EA’s strong commitment to this franchise after the disappointing reception of Battlefield 2042 at its launch in 2021. DICE, along with several other studios, are collectively pushing for high expectations, aiming for 100 million players to engage with Battlefield 6 at some point after its launch.
Censorship of “Arc Raiders” in EA’s Chat
Reports indicate that typing “Arc Raiders” into EA’s PC app chat system results in the title being replaced by hashtags. A user known as WifiRouterYT showcased this restriction in a video on the Arc Raiders subreddit. Interestingly, mentions of other shooters like Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Escape from Tarkov do not trigger this censoring mechanism. They even tested variations of the title, including the stylized “ARC Raiders”, but to no effect.
Battlefield 6
While there may be residual tension between EA and Embark Studios, particularly given the background of its founder Patrick Soderlund as a former CEO of DICE, it’s interesting to note that the same censorship does not apply to Embark’s other shooter, The Finals. With the October 30 release date approaching for Arc Raiders and speculation around Battlefield 6 also aiming for an October debut, it’s plausible that EA is more concerned about blocking references to its upcoming competitor during this sensitive period as it seeks to direct all attention to Battlefield 6 this Fall.
