ARC Raiders’ Bird City map condition has a surprisingly simple origin. Turns out, it started as a joke. According to Aleksander Grøndal, the executive producer of Arc Raiders, the feature involved roughly five days of work and arrived alongside what he described as the worst exploit around that time.
Players who spent their raids searching rooftops for rubber ducks, this may come as a surprise as this map condition gave birth to so many memorable moment for players for better or for worse.
In brief:
- Bird City reportedly began as a joke before becoming a playable map condition.
- Grøndal said it involved approximately five days of work.
- He also recalled a major exploit accompanying its arrival.
- The condition added rooftop loot opportunities and collectible rubber ducks to Buried City.
ARC Raiders’ Bird City Had a Surprisingly Short Development Time
The story comes from the discussion highlighted in The Evolution of ARC Raiders, Season 2 Episode 1. The documentary looks back at the game’s launch, its early live-service months, and Embark’s changing approach to updates.
Released as part of Headwinds, Bird City gave players another reason to explore Buried City’s rooftops. Chimney nests offered extra loot, including collectible rubber ducks, while additional ziplines helped players move between elevated areas. GameRiv’s Bird City duck guide covers the condition and its rewards.
Bird City’s Release Also Came With Exploit Trouble
The less cheerful part of Grøndal’s recollection concerns the exploit that accompanied the update. The available recap doesn’t identify its exact mechanics, so attributing a specific bug to his comments would go beyond what it establishes.
There was, however, documented duplication trouble around the Headwinds period. Players reported encountering huge quantities of rubber ducks, including valuable variants introduced with Bird City.
Embark has continued tackling those problems. Its later fair-play updates addressed item duplication, suspicious high-value transfers, and economy abuse, as covered in the latest enforcement report made by Embark on these issues.
