Arc Raiders Studio Severs Ties with Cofounder Amid Unsubstantiated Sexual Misconduct Claims

Embark Studios, the team behind The Finals and Arc Raiders, was established in 2018 by former DICE veterans. Recently, the studio has parted ways with cofounder and Chief Content Officer Rob Runesson amid allegations regarding an inappropriate relationship with an esports streamer linked to one of their games. While the decision to part ways was described as mutual, an external investigation found no evidence to support the allegations that had circulated on social media.

In a statement, the studio acknowledged the situation: “Our leadership team was recently made aware of allegations against an Embark employee. We take these matters seriously, and as part of our process for addressing any types of allegations, we immediately hired a law firm to conduct an external investigation. The investigation did not substantiate the allegations, but we found the situation unsustainable and mutually agreed to part ways with Rob.”

The allegations regarding Runesson’s relationship with the esports streamer for The Finals were shared online through various Google docs and discussed across multiple platforms. An anonymous source claimed that a well-known female streamer had concerns about a sexual relationship with Runesson but felt unable to act due to his influence in promoting her channel. However, the streamer later clarified that some of the claims circulating were taken out of context or misleading.

Runesson previously served as an art lead at DICE, contributing to notable titles like Mirror’s Edge, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Star Wars: Battlefront. He co-founded Embark with several former colleagues, including Magnus Nordin, Stefan Strandberg, Jenny Huldschiner, and Patrick Söderlund. Most recently, he held the position of chief content officer at the Nexon-owned studio, which has seen success with its extraction shooter Arc Raiders, selling over 14 million copies. Runesson has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Additionally, the studio has addressed other misconduct allegations within The Finals’ competitive scene. “For the sake of our community, our players, our partners, and the long-term health of our game, we believe it is responsible to temporarily pause our current outbound esports efforts,” Embark announced in The Finals Discord last month. “This season’s competitive model was built with strong intentions, and it is our role to ensure it meets the standards we set.”