Katarzyna Petru
The success of the game ARC Raiders from Embark Studios can be measured by the enormous figures that are making a colossal impression in January 2026. With over 12 million copies sold and record popularity on the Steam platform, where nearly half a million people were playing at one time, it would be easy to pigeonhole this title as just another market hit. However, what is happening around the “Arks” in the visual sphere goes far beyond ordinary gameplay. Fans of the game, captivated by its incredible atmosphere and photorealism, have started to treat this post-apocalyptic world like a professional film set.
Gametography or how a player becomes a film operator
An extraordinary example of this phenomenon is the work of the channel “Director of Gametography”, which proves that the world of ARC Raiders is more than just a backdrop for shootings. The creator, who is a professional film operator in his professional life, has transferred his craft into the game. He creates short action films, using the graphics engine to build frames that could proudly appear in high-budget science fiction productions. What is truly impressive is the way the “director” collaborates with random players, casting them in the roles of actors, setting scenes, and utilising game elements – like smoke or lighting – to create a true virtual cinema.
Photorealism that pushes the best televisions to their limits
From the perspective of screen enthusiasts, such productions are the best demonstration material for modern games. A game based on the Unreal Engine 5 offers a level of detail and lighting that allows you to fully appreciate the capabilities of OLED panels and the latest Mini LEDs. It is for such experiences, which we encounter in today’s games, that we buy screens with high brightness and excellent contrast – to see how digital dust, the light of a setting sun, and the metallic structures of robots look almost tangible.
Hollywood is already knocking on Embark Studios' door
The film potential of ARC Raiders has not gone unnoticed by the biggest players in the entertainment industry. In early January 2026, the head of Embark Studios, Patrick Söderlund, admitted in interviews with GamesBeat that the studio has been inundated with proposals from Hollywood studios wanting to bring this brand to the screens as films or series. While the creators emphasise that any potential adaptation must be done the right way and without haste, the sheer fact of such significant interest confirms that we are dealing with a universe of enormous pulling power.
Source: Director of Gametography, GamesBeat
