Ninja urges Arc Raiders devs to avoid competitive tournaments and keep the game casual

Twitch superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is urging Embark Studios to keep Arc Raiders firmly in the casual zone, warning that introducing competitive tournaments could harm the rising extraction shooter.

The streamer, who has been one of the game’s most visible supporters, shared his concerns as Arc Raiders continues to trend across Twitch and social media.

The extraction-style shooter has quickly become one of the year’s most popular titles, drawing big-name creators such as Shroud, xQc, HutchMF, and BurntPeanut. Much of the hype has come from the organic “faction wars” and comedic chaos emerging within the community—something Ninja argues would be destroyed by competitive structures.

Speaking on stream, Ninja cautioned the developers against following Fortnite’s path. “You start putting $1 million tournaments on, and suddenly you have 12-year-olds playing 24 hours a day, sweaty players min-maxing everything,” he said. He stressed that Arc Raiders lacks the mobility and mechanical depth needed for esports-style competition, calling competitive events a “silly choice.”

“The second they try to make this game competitive, it would be so bad. I hope there are never tournaments for it,” he added, emphasizing that the game thrives on unpredictability, humor, and casual teamwork. Ninja also pointed to issues such as desync, arguing they would make a competitive format unworkable.

Top streamers have widely embraced Arc Raiders, with Shroud even claiming it deserved Game of the Year. However, Ninja insists its charm stems from being a laid-back, chaotic shooter—not a high-stakes esports arena. For many fans, keeping it casual may be key to preserving the game’s unique identity.