There is good news, but also bad news about the dino survival spectacle Ark: Survival Ascended. We summarise them for you.
Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the biggest survival hits of recent years. So it’s no wonder that developer Studio Wildcard announced a remaster called Survival Ascended some time ago. Now there is both good and bad news for fans. Of course, since it’s Monday, we’ll start with the bad to keep the flair of the new work week.
Release later, Early Access in October
According to a (new blog entry) by the developers, the release originally planned for August will be postponed to 2024 Nevertheless, fans can already start playing this year, because Survival Ascended will launch in Early Access in October. The scope will be sparse at first, however, because the remaster will appear in pieces:
- October: At the start of Early Access, only the map The Island will be available.
- December: Scorched Earth will follow two months later.
- 2024: The other maps like Survival of the Fittest, Ragnarok and Aberration will be released next year.
And what about Ark 2? According to the current status, that will also be released in 2024. You can watch the atmospheric trailer here:
Why the postponement? The official reason given is mainly technical reasons related to the Unreal Engine 5.2 used:
We find working with Unreal Engine 5.2 challenging, but at the same time incredibly exciting. Every day we discover new ways to take the technology to the next level. Combined with the work required to support a fully cross-platform moddable game ecosystem on consoles and PC, it’s clear that we’re going to need a little more time.
The game will be cheaper
Now let’s get to the good news: in the wake of the postponement, Studio Wildcard has also announced that Arc: Survival Ascended will be offered at a lower price. Instead of the originally planned 60 dollars, 45 dollars will be due, and if you buy directly at the Early Access launch, it will only be 40 dollars.
Reaction to fan criticism? Despite the above-mentioned official reason for the postponement, the critical reactions of many fans since the announcement could also have played a role. Their loud protests forced the developers to make major changes to their plans in March.
Are you looking forward to the remaster of Ark: Survival Evolved and the promised Unreal Engine 5 graphics? Or are you rather looking forward to the release of Ark 2, which is also supposed to do something different in terms of gameplay? Are you not at all enthusiastic about the dinosaur survival experience? Feel free to write us your opinion in the comments!
