The design lead of Arc Raiders, Virgil Watkins from Embark Studios, stated he is “super aware” of the community’s demand for a saved custom loadout system. The statement was given in a recent interview with the website GamesRadar in January 2026 and addresses a recurring complaint from players. This feature, which would allow for quickly setting up favorite equipment, is seen as crucial for maintaining the game’s pace and fan engagement, but it still does not have an estimated arrival date.
Watkins explained that the team has already discussed its implementation; however, the feature’s priority was considered low compared to other development needs leading up to the launch. The design lead admitted that even he uses the game’s free loadouts because he doesn’t want to go through the hassle of creating a custom one for each match. Thus, the studio acknowledges that the current friction in the menus can hinder the “just one more match” experience, a valuable feeling for any game in the genre.
Priorities and Future Perspectives
Now, after the launch, Embark Studios is evaluating how to prioritize this community request against other known improvements that need to be made. The team has already focused on optimizing matchmaking to be as fast as possible, and according to Watkins, the next step is to find ways to get players through the initial interface more quickly. He ponders that while some friction points are good in games to demand attention, navigating through multiple menus is not necessarily one of them.
Therefore, even without a defined deadline, the awareness and willingness to implement a system that speeds up entry into matches exist. Keeping the player invested is one of the most important goals for a developer, and adding saved loadouts could be a key to that. Thus, the chances of the feature being added in a future update seem considerable, provided the team can reorganize its development priorities.
