Developer Studio Wildcard has announced that Ark 2 is delayed to the end of 2024 on Xbox, Game Pass, and PC. On top of that, Studio Wildcard has announced that Ark: Survival Evolved is getting a next-gen remaster in Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) called Ark: Survival Ascended, and it will replace the original version of the game. Ark 2 is notably also being developed in Unreal Engine 5.
The studio posted a lengthy apology and explanation for why Ark 2 has been delayed, but what it comes down to is that the developers are still unlocking the full power of UE5 and want to deliver the most significant technical and gameplay upgrade possible. It will also apparently represent a gameplay departure compared to what people are used to in Ark: Survival Evolved, which has in part spurred the creation of the Survival Ascended remaster, which in turn is planned for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, and PC. It will include “The Island, SOTF, and all the ‘Non-Canon’ DLC maps (which will be added to ASA over time).”
Xbox and PC players will only be able to buy ASA as part of the $49.99 Ark Respawned Bundle, which will include both Survival Ascended and eventually Ark 2. Meanwhile, PS5 players can buy Ark: Survival Ascended as a standalone game for $39.99. This remaster is planned to launch in August 2023. Expansion packs will be sold separately:
- $19.99 for Explorer’s Pass, which includes Scorched Earth, Aberration (Q4 2023), and Extinction (Q1 2024).
- $19.99 for Genesis Pass, which includes Genesis Part 1 (Q1 2024) and Genesis Part 2 (Q2 2024).
This remaster will include a ton of improvements and features, like dynamic water, interactive foliage, cross-platform multiplayer and modding, and revamped new game mode Survival of the Fittest. This sounds like much more than a stopgap toward Ark 2.
If you’ve been playing Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition on Nintendo Switch, a content schedule continues all the way into 2024, so you don’t need to worry about being shafted. However, official servers for Ark: Survival Evolved will shut down on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC at the end of August when the remaster launches. Your data isn’t disappearing though, as “the final save-datas from the ARK: Survival Evolved Official Servers will be uploaded for players to re-host on their own servers or play in singleplayer/non-dedi, as well as slightly earlier snapshots. You will still be able to play on single-player, non-dedicated, player-dedicated, and unofficial servers.”
There’s actually even more information where that came from in Studio Wildcard’s massive community update, but those are the highlights. Ark 2 is delayed to 2024, Ark: Survival Ascended will remaster Survival Evolved in UE5, and you’ll have to wait a little longer to play with Vin Diesel.
