At the moment, Studio WildCard introduced that Ark 2, the sequel to 2017’s Ark: Survival Developed, is getting delayed a second time into 2024 – however within the meantime, a next-gen model of the unique sport is popping out in August to maintain us busy.
In a neighborhood blogpost providing a improvement roadmap, Studio WildCard defined that the rationale for Ark 2’s delay to subsequent 12 months was as a consequence of challenges working with Unreal Engine 5:
“Our aim is to make ARK 2 the very best sport it may be and supply a very distinctive and rewarding expertise for gamers. Unreal Engine 5 is extremely new expertise to us (and all builders), and we goal to make use of this cutting-edge tech to its fullest potential whereas making a sport with never-before-achieved scope at Studio Wildcard. As we study extra concerning the engine and develop the sequel, we’ve got tailored our workflows and adjusted our pipelines to accommodate this new next-generation paradigm, and due to all the pieces that includes, we’d like extra time for improvement.”
Moreover, Studio WildCard acknowledged that these challenges additionally imply that Ark 2 won’t be backward appropriate. So which means no launch of Ark 2 on Xbox One or PS4.
However there’s some excellent news for Ark 1 followers. As a result of Ark 2 has “some fairly vital design adjustments from the unique sport” and will not attraction to those that choose “Souls-like fight, primitive-only weaponry, and strict third-person mechanics – and an total “very critical” tone,” Studio WildCard is releasing a current-gen model of Ark 1 on PC, Xbox Collection, and PS5 in August of 2023 “to make sure that followers can proceed to benefit from the ARK they know for years to come back.”
It is known as Ark: Survival Ascended, and comes with The Island, battle royale spinoff Survival of the Fittest, and “all of the ‘non-canon DLC maps'”. In addition to graphical and efficiency upgrades, it additionally consists of cross-platform multiplayer and cross-progression, and cross-platform modding supported by Overwolf.
That is quite a lot of content material, however the buying scheme is a bit complicated. Xbox Collection X, S, and PC gamers can solely get it by buying the Ark Respawned Bundle for $49.99, which incorporates each Ark: Survival Ascended and Ark 2, and can grant entry to an unique one-month closed beta of Ark 2 in 2024. The bundle will solely be out there for the primary 12 months after launch of Survival Ascended, after which each video games will probably be out there individually.
In the meantime, PS5 gamers can buy Survival Ascended as a standalone sport at launch for $39.99. DLC packs may even be out there individually on each platforms.
Lastly, Studio WildCard has a brand new canonical story DLC deliberate for launch in This autumn of 2023 together with 4 new creatures.
Ark 2 was first introduced through a elaborate Vin Diesel cameo at The Recreation Awards again in 2020, on the time with a 2022 launch date, nevertheless it was later delayed into 2023. We gave the unique Ark: Survival Developed a 7.7/10 evaluate, praising its strategic moments and fight however noting its AI bugs and grind.
Rebekah Valentine is a information reporter for IGN. You will discover her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
