After two years of silence, the developers finally talk about ARK 2. But it’s not the news fans were hoping for

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As a dedicated ARK gamer, it’s been a real challenge to maintain my optimism lately. The constant delays with ARK 2, now stretching into its third year, are disheartening. Survival Ascended, still in Early Access, remains a bit of a jumble. And the drama surrounding the lack of a discount for Survival Evolved owners and shutting down official servers hasn’t helped matters. When you think things can’t get any worse, new updates arrive – and let me tell you, they’re more frustrating than I could have ever anticipated.

What’s been going on with ARK 2

In December of 2020, news broke about the upcoming sequel, ARK 2. This announcement came three years after the complete release of Survival Evolved. The initial plan was for it to debut in 2022, but due to various delays, primarily because Studio Wildcard was engrossed in remastering the original game to better acquaint themselves with Unreal Engine 5, they’ve pushed the launch back. As of March 31, 2023, their latest official update has confirmed that the release has been moved to late 2024.

Currently, the game ARK: Survival Ascended has added some DLCs, which are improved versions of the initial expansions, with more on the horizon. However, if you compare the 2023 roadmap to the one unveiled in January 2025, there’s a significant change – almost everything has been postponed, and ARK 2 is yet to announce its release date.

Lost Colony and Aquatica trailers revealed

Yesterday, we received a sneak peek at “Lost Colony”, the inaugural expansion for “Survival Ascended”, which is scheduled to debut in November 2025.

The “Lost Colony” expansion was intended to bridge the narrative between prior expansions and “ARK 2,” but players found themselves more dismayed than thrilled due to its high cost. Initially priced at $30 on Steam, it became the most expensive DLC available, a fact that left many players feeling overcharged for merely one map. Consequently, the price was swiftly revised.

Apart from the “Survival Ascended” DLC trailer, we received another one on the same day. Alongside the teaser for “ARK: Lost Colony”, the official trailer for “ARK: Aquatica” was also unveiled. Admittedly, if it appears a bit questionable to you, you’re not alone. The one-minute video predominantly features AI-generated visuals, with only a few seconds of actual gameplay at the beginning. Unfortunately, it doesn’t disclose much about the expansion at all.

Studio Wildcard addressed X to confirm that ARK: Aquatica is being developed by Snail Games. Meanwhile, they are concentrating on Survival Ascended and ARK 2. Unfortunately, they haven’t disclosed any fresh details yet, not even a projected launch date for the sequel.

The high price tag of $30 for the game “Lost Colony” might indicate that the development process is taking too long and they’re running short on funds. If our concerns about the future of “ARK” and “ARK 2” were already substantial, this situation seems to be worsening.

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2025-03-19 15:32