ARK 2 Delayed Far Into the Future; ARK Remaster Coming Out Instead
Fans who are looking forward to the release of ARK 2 must still arm themselves with a lot of patience. Wildcard has announced that the game will most likely see the light of day only at the end of 2024. However, there is also good news.
Developers from Wildcard have provided disappointing - of which they are themselves aware - information about sequel to ARK: Survival Evolved announced in 2020. The news was published via the game's official website.
- In an extensive announcement, the developers announced that ARK 2 will hit the market no earlier than the end of 2024. The game will be available on Xbox Series X/S consoles and PCs (including Game Pass).
- It is also not until next year that any new media materials from the game (screenshots and videos) are scheduled to be shown, not counting individual "assets."
- The reason for the delay is, among other things, the desire to learn more about Unreal Engine 5, which powers the game, and which is new to the team at Wildcard.
- As the announcement reads, ARK 2 will involve a significant departure from the classic formula of ARK: Survival Evolved, which in a sense prompted Wildcard to refresh the original.
"We also realize that ARK 2 contains some significant changes from the original game, which may not appeal to everyone ([...] soulslike combat, only primitive weapons, strictly third-person gameplay mechanics - and an overall "very serious" tone), which is why we feel it's essential to provide players with a fully next-gen version of the original game to ensure that fans can continue to enjoy ARK they know, for many more years to come," the website reads.
- A refreshed version, powered by UE5, is quite close. ARK: Survival Ascended - because that's the title of the upcoming remaster - will debut on the market by the end of August, this year. The game will be availableon PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
- Survival Ascended will include the basic game, a refreshed version of Survival of the Fittest (a spin-off focusing on battle royale gameplay) and all "non-canonical" maps from the DLCs. In addition, in the fourth quarter of this year, the developers plan to release an all-new story DLC.
- In addition, the remaster will include features such as dynamic water, interactive vegetation, cross-platform multiplayer and "the industry's first cross-platform modding option."
All in all, despite the not-so-good news to begin with, fans of ARK can look to the future with optimism. They are really in for quite a lot of news, which will make the wait for the release of the second installment much more pleasant.
