The reports as of early January revealed that Arc Raiders had sold 2.4 million copies in 2026, bringing the total copies sold to 12.4 million. This milestone was achieved in roughly 10 weeks, considering that the game was launched on October 30, 2025. An analyst has now claimed that the game was made on a $75 million budget, including marketing.
Arc Raiders is a new stab at a multiplayer extraction adventure. It was set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC. Players have continued to shower the game with accolades. On Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 88 on Xbox Series X, 86 on PC, and 85 on PS5.
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In the latest episode of SIFTD Games, industry analyst Michael Pachter shared what he believed was Embark Studios’ budget for Arc Raiders. The revelation came towards the end of the video when Pachter said it was unsustainable for Ubisoft to spend 5 years developing a game and only sell 5 million copies.
He said that developers should not be comparing themselves to “GTA, FIFA, or the former glory of Call of Duty,” because these franchises make back their development and marketing costs soon after their release. For example, he said Rockstar is likely “going to make that $2 billion back in the first week” of GTA 6 release.
Instead, he said developers should be comparing themselves to Arc Raiders. According to him, “Arc Raiders cost $75 million to make” and was developed over 3 years with a team of 70 developers.
Pachter added that the game has already made $500 million from the over 12 million copies sold and will probably make close to a billion in its lifetime. The success has not been without challenges. The game’s recent update broke some systems.
How much do you think a game made with a budget of $75 million should make to be considered successful? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
