Twitch Streamer Nickmercs Responds to ARC Raiders Cheating Allegations

Prominent Twitch streamer and former Call of Duty professional Nickmercs has pushed back against widespread cheating accusations stemming from his ARC Raiders gameplay. The controversy erupted after an 11-second Reddit clip showed the 35-year-old content creator taking down two Arc drones with what many viewers described as suspiciously precise aim.

The clip rapidly accumulated over 2,400 comments. Some called it "super sketchy" whilst others insisted it was "blatantly a cheat engine." Not your typical Tuesday for someone who spent two decades building a competitive gaming career.

Nickmercs Fires Back

Nick didn't stay quiet for long. During a recent livestream, he addressed the accusations head-on: "Not cheating sorry, didn't wait 20 years playing competitively to show you I was cheating against an ARC robot."

His response was blunt. The streamer made it clear that anyone wanting him "dead or cancelled" would be disappointed because "the f*cking show goes on." He even invited doubters to play with him directly, confident his gameplay would hold up under scrutiny.

The timing couldn't be worse for Nickmercs. ARC Raiders has been battling a severe cheating problem, with prominent figures like Shroud and Nadeshot calling out rampant hackers in high-skill lobbies. But as it turns out, Nick wasn't the problem at all.

The Real Culprit: Framerate-Dependent Aim Assist

What started as a witch hunt against one streamer quickly exposed a far more insidious issue. Players discovered that ARC Raiders' controller aim assist on PC scales directly with framerate.

High-end PCs running at 240fps benefit from significantly stronger, stickier aim assist compared to consoles capped at 60fps. Reddit user Razukee demonstrated this by comparing 30fps gameplay against unlimited framerates. The difference was stark.

Console players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S experience minimal aim assist benefit. Meanwhile, PC players with expensive hardware get what essentially amounts to built-in target magnetism. The community quickly dubbed it "pay-to-win" aim assist.

One player stated: "This basically [makes] aim assist pay to win. Whoever has the better PC wins." Another added: "PC already have superior inputs with [mouse and keyboard] and now they also have better aim assist?"

Why Controller Players Can't Compete

The framerate disparity creates an undeniable competitive imbalance. PC players using controllers at high refresh rates can snap onto Arc robot rotors with minimal effort. The aim assist does most of the work.

Nick himself speculated during his stream that aim assist on PC might be "much stronger" than on consoles. He was right. With proper settings, controllers automatically snap to the main body of flying enemies. Players then have to fight against the system to target weak points like rotors.

This explains why Nick's clip looked suspicious. He wasn't cheating. He was battling against overtuned aim assist whilst attempting precise rotor shots.

Tom Warren from The Verge defended Nick, pointing out that many people simply don't understand how aim assist works or its relationship to high framerates.

Community Demands Action

The community response has been swift and decisive. Reddit, Twitter, and Discord are flooded with calls to disable crossplay until Embark Studios fixes the issue.

Players argue that console users shouldn't compete against PC players when one side has access to superior hardware advantages. The framerate-dependent aim assist undermines the entire premise of fair crossplay competition.

This controversy arrives on the heels of Embark's promises to address the cheating epidemic plaguing ARC Raiders. Instead of celebrating a cleaner environment, players are now grappling with a built-in mechanic that feels equally exploitative.

What Embark Studios Must Do

The timing couldn't be worse for the developer. ARC Raiders launched in October 2025 to massive success, boasting 12 million copies sold and 3.2 million daily active users. The game won Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2025.

Now that momentum faces serious threats. High-profile streamers like Shroud have already pivoted to other extraction shooters. More could follow if Embark doesn't act quickly.

The studio needs to provide clarity on how this framerate dependency was implemented and deliver a concrete timeline for fixes. Hardware bans, enhanced detection, or fundamental changes to how aim assist scales with performance are all on the table.

For Nickmercs, vindication came quickly once players understood the real problem. His reputation remains intact. The same can't be said for ARC Raiders' competitive integrity unless Embark takes immediate action.

The game's bright future hangs in the balance. Will the developer reclaim control, or will this design flaw raid away the player base they worked so hard to build?