ARK 2 gets an unexpected delay until 2024

Ark 2 will experience significant delays, according to Studio Wildcard, but on the plus side, the first game will be made available to players on next-generation consoles. Even better, this year will see the release of an upgraded version of Ark: Survival Evolved with brand-new, exciting features.

2017 saw the official release of Ark: Survival Evolved and while many critics noted how punishing the game could be, most still praised Ark: Survival Evolved for its captivating world. The game received mixed reviews. However, the game saw a lot of sales even during its Early Access phase. After being made available in Early Access, Ark: Survival Evolved quickly sold over a million copies. By August 2016, sales of the PC and Xbox One versions had reached 5.5 million.

DLCs and the possibility of extending the plot were both considered by Studio Wildcard as a result of the sales’ unexpected success. Because of that, the sequel Ark 2—starring Vin Diesel—was revealed in 2020 at The Game Awards. It was originally scheduled for release in 2023 and is currently being developed in collaboration with Grove Street Games.

Studio Wildcard has informed the Ark fans that it will be unable to deliver Ark 2 this year and has made the difficult decision to push it back to the end of 2024 in a new post on its community forum.

In the justification, it is stated that Unreal Engine 5 was to be used to create a “never-before-achieved scope,” which required the team to drastically alter the development pace.

This will result in a significant deviation from Ark 2’s original plans. Fans can anticipate features like “Soulslike combat, primitive-only weaponry, and strict third-person mechanics – and an overall very serious tone,”  according to Studio Wildcard. The development team decided to offer players a next-generation version of Ark: Survival Evolved because these features might not be appealing to fans of the original game.

It is anticipated that this new version, which will be called Ark: Survival Ascended, will be available in August 2023. The Island, Survival of the Fittest, and all of the progressively added DLC maps will be included in the base game. A cross-platform multiplayer option will be one of the new features, enabling players to advance through the game regardless of the platform they use to access it. Mods made on a PC will be “delivered directly to end-users’ consoles from a custom modding backend,” according to the availability of cross-platform modding.

Users of Microsoft and PlayStation will be able to purchase all of this and more in various versions. Those in the first category can purchase the Ark Respawned Bundle for $49.99, which includes both the first game and Ark 2 on PC or Xbox, while PlayStation gamers can purchase Ark as a standalone title for $39.99.

Ark: Survival Ascended releases on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in August 2023. Ark 2 is expected to release at the end of 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

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