The future ofARK will ultimately not be at all what we imagined so far. Already, Wild Card Studio just announced that he was going postpone ARK II with Vin Diesel to the end of 2024 for two reasons. The first is that he needs time to best develop this experience under Unreal Engine 5 for PC and Xbox Series X|S, and make the most of the engine power. He specifies that this sequel will also have fights at the soulspassages exclusively GSTexclusively primitive weapons and a more serious tone, in short, novelties that deserve more attention.
The second is precisely that because of the differences between the two episodes, it was decided to give the first a second life. A remastered version of ARK: Survival Evolved will indeed see the light of day in August 2023 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X | S under the name ofARK: Survival Ascended. This will be a new edition under Unreal Engine 5with graphics and even ideas inspired by the development ofARK II, which will allow the original experience to continue to last and exist over time even after the release of the sequel. Expect dynamic weather, interactive foliage, use of technology Nanite, Lumen And RTXDI of the’EU5of cross platform for multiplayer, modding and anti-cheat, improved minimap, queue system, view GST optional, and even more new features listed on the official site.
After careful consideration, we have decided to postpone the launch of the sequel until late 2024, when it will still launch exclusively on Xbox, Game Pass and Windows (Steam/PC) distribution platforms. We thought a lot about delaying ARK 2 for the betterment of the final product and the welfare of the team. This news will disappoint many – we feel it too – but we are convinced that this heavy decision is the right one.
So why this delay? Our goal is to make ARK 2 the best game it can be and to deliver a truly exceptional and rewarding experience for players. Unreal Engine 5 is incredibly new technology for us (and all developers), and we aim to use this cutting-edge technology to its full potential while creating a game with a reach never before achieved at Studio Wildcard. As we learn more about the engine and develop the suite, we’ve adapted our workflows and adjusted our pipelines to accommodate this next-gen paradigm, and because of all that entails, we we need more time for development.
We sincerely apologize for this delay and sincerely appreciate your understanding. Your support and passion are vital to us, and we will continue to work hard to deliver the ultimate next-gen dinosaur survival experience. With that in mind, we don’t plan to feature any ARK 2 gameplay/screenshots/videos this year; however, we intend to keep you informed and engaged in the development process by showcasing more ARK 2 advancements on a regular basis in the coming months, leading up to our gameplay reveal next year.
However ! Our desire to push the boundaries of what ARK 2 is on a next-gen platform led us to the decision to create an Unreal Engine 5 ARK mid-product using some of the new technologies we are building, allowing us to deepen our mastery of the new engine and, ultimately, testing some of our riskiest technical advancements. We’ll gain a deep understanding of how rendering and lighting techniques work on console, what performance will be like, if we can optimize and deliver interactive water and foliage at scale, and much more. We’ll be featuring cross-platform modding, cross-platform multiplayer, and a new account system, helping us with other changes we should consider for ARK 2. Due to the scope of all the technical and quality-of-life changes required for a such next-gen experience, that experience will not be backwards compatible, hence our intention to make it a separate product.
We also recognize that ARK 2 has some pretty significant design changes from the original game, which may not make it as appealing to everyone (we see your gaze: Souls-like combat, primitive-only weapons, and strict third-person mechanics – and an overall “very serious” tone), which is why we believe providing players with an entirely next-gen version of the original experience is essential to ensure fans can continue to enjoy the ARK they know for years to come.
We’re excited to share this new ARK adventure with you this year – bringing PC, Xbox and PlayStation gamers together in a next-gen version of the game you love, complete with groundbreaking cross-platform modding.
ARK: Survival Ascended will contain the extension The Island and a revisited version of the mode Survival of the Fittestwhile the maps communities will be added for free gradually after launch. However, you will have to pay €19.99 to obtain the Explorer’s Pass DLCcontaining Scorched Earth from the exit and giving access to Aberration in the fall and Extinction this winter, or Genesis Passincluding Genesis Part I And Part II coming in the first and second quarters of 2024. An original extension is also planned for the last quarter of 2023.
The big catch is that if ARK: Survival Ascended will retain its backup of Survival Evolved, you will have to pay again to get the remaster ! It will be sold for €39.99 on PS5, on its own, and €49.99 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, first in a bundle with the future ARK II which will be offered until August 2024. The most shameful thing is that Survival Evolved’s official PC, PS4, and Xbox One servers will shut down when the game launches. remaster in Augustleaving fans with no choice and leaving console gamers behind old gen which would not have yet passed to the next gen. It will certainly still be possible to play solo or on private servers, but all the same… A program so strict and disappointing that we would almost hope for an April Fool’s joke in bad taste (the announcement was made on March 31 in the United States, but who knows).
Otherwise, the series ARK: The Animated Series has finished production and dubbing, with its first 14 episodes now in post-production, and the Switch version ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition will welcome the Extinction DLC in April, Genesis Part I in June, and Part II in October, servers for small tribes in May and the latest maps community in winter. That’s a lot of information, but at least you’re now clear for the future of the saga ARK.
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