Embark Studios, the developer behind ARC Raiders and THE FINALS, apparently doesn’t believe in traditional game design documents. According to CEO Patrick Söderlund, the studio has completely abandoned the practice in favor of a more hands-on approach to game development.
In a recent interview, Söderlund explained how Embark challenges conventional development methods and why he believes games should be played rather than planned entirely on paper.
In Brief:
- Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund says the studio doesn’t use traditional game design documents.
- Developers prioritize building playable systems instead of writing lengthy design plans.
- Söderlund believes interactive experiences are better understood by actually playing them.
- Embark’s unconventional development philosophy has attracted interest from other game studios.
ARC Raiders Developer Embark Doesn’t Use Game Design Documents
Speaking with The Game Business, Söderlund revealed something surprising about how Embark develops its games.
“I’ve never seen a design document at Embark. They don’t exist.”
According to Söderlund, Embark started by questioning traditional development practices and rethinking what it actually takes to build a video game.
Instead of spending time documenting how certain mechanics should work, developers focus on creating playable systems that allow them to experience those ideas firsthand.
Söderlund explained his reasoning with a simple statement:
“I can’t read a game. I’ve got to play it.”
For Embark, the goal is to understand how something feels through gameplay rather than trying to imagine the final experience from written descriptions.
Embark CEO Explains Why Traditional Game Development Doesn’t Work for Them
Söderlund believes that designing an inherently interactive experience on paper isn’t necessarily the best approach.
He clarified that traditional design documents aren’t inherently wrong. They simply don’t fit Embark’s development philosophy.
Interestingly, the studio’s success with ARC Raiders and THE FINALS has caught the attention of other developers.
According to Söderlund, representatives from other studios have approached Embark to understand how it creates ambitious games with comparatively smaller teams and budgets.
However, the answers aren’t always what those developers expect.
Embark’s approach requires rethinking established workflows, tools, and development practices rather than simply adopting a few production shortcuts.
Embark’s Development Philosophy Isn’t for Everyone
Despite Embark’s success, Söderlund doesn’t believe every studio should copy its methods.
The CEO acknowledged that Embark’s approach works because the company was built around these principles from the beginning.
For established studios with existing pipelines and development structures, making similar changes could be considerably more complicated.
Ultimately, Söderlund believes developers should be willing to challenge industry conventions and find methods that work for their own teams.
Considering what Embark has achieved with ARC Raiders and THE FINALS, its unconventional approach certainly gives other developers something to think about.
