Arc Raiders developer parts ways with co-founder Rob Runesson after sexual misconduct allegations

Embark Studios, the developers behind the hit title Arc Raiders has "agreed to part ways" with the co-founder of the studio and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Rob Runesson after sexual misconduct allegations were made public.

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The studio behind Arc Raiders said the decision was "mutual" and that Runesson will step down from his position as COO. As for the allegations, they first surfaced about a month ago on a The Finals streamer's livestream, where they were read. Notably, the accuser remained anonymous. However, the allegations were later shared across several The Finals social communities and viewed by IGN.

According to a report, the anonymous individual claims they were in contact with a popular female streamer of The Finals, who allegedly told this anonymous individual they were engaging in a frequent romantic and sexual relationship with Runesson. Furthermore, the allegations state the female streamer became uncomfortable with the frequency with which Runesson wanted to engage in sexual conversations and favors, along with the potential of there being a conflict given that Runesson was promoting her streams.

Additionally, the anonymous individual said they went to an Embark Studios community employee to report the behavior, but weren't informed whether an investigation had been launched. IGN spoke to the streamer embroiled in the allegations, who declined to comment on the story beyond saying that several of the allegations were taken out of context or misleading.

"Our leadership team was recently made aware of allegations against an Embark employee. We take these matters seriously, and as a 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," wrote Embark Studios