Embark unveils Prime Time season with solo showdown

Embark Studios’ Season 12, titled Prime Time, removes team play and instead pits 12 contestants against each other in a solo showdown that runs across three elimination rounds. At the end of each round the bottom four players on the scoreboard are eliminated, leaving the final four to fight for the prize.

Boom Brawl example mode

Each round is built around a particular build and archetype, turning the mini‑games into showcases for different loadouts. A highlighted example is Boom Brawl, where every Light fighter drops throwable bombs while holding a sword.

The new Light playstyle introduces True Sight, a reworked Thermal Vision that highlights enemies in team colors through non‑solid objects without granting full wall hacks, and two gadgets. The Translocator swaps the player with an object while keeping that object's momentum, and the Mimic Device lets a player become an object and inherit its properties, allowing it to be thrown or exploded. Light builds also gain 25 health while Heavy builds lose 25, narrowing the balance gap between the outer classes.

Destruction mechanics are deeper this season: breaking a wall or floor now creates cracks that spiderweb outward, and each debris piece carries its own physics. A damaged structure can collapse from footsteps or rumble rather than following a scripted pattern, adding a new layer of strategy to the arena.

Prime Time also adds game‑show flourishes to the arena. Announcer Scotty now calls out contestant names as they play, while host June has yet to receive the same feature.

The season launched on Steam for free on Windows in December 2023, and Embark released a Prime Time gameplay trailer on October 15 2026.