Ark: Survival Ascended was revealed in April as an Unreal Engine 5-powered remaster of the 2015 open-world epic, but it served to quickly irritate fans the world over. It was made clear that current players – regardless of the time and effort they’d sunken into the game – would be forced to completely restart with the release of Ark: Survival Ascended as Ark: Survival Evolved (the original game) will be taken offline.
There is a staggering suite of changes coming hand-in-hand with ‘ASA’, but it’s still not enough to placate angry and disappointed fans. It was originally supposed to be released in August 2023, but owing to difficulties presented during the development of this ambitious remaster, it has been delayed to October – and a discount has been applied, for some reason.
What The Hell is Even That
Here’s the timeline, in case you’re confused:
- Ark 2 announced
- Ark 2 was delayed, but Ark: Survival Ascended (the remaster) announced
- Fans were made angry by the revelation that Ark: Survival Evolved (the original) will go offline, and that ASA is bundled exclusively with the pre-order for Ark 2 (feat. Vin Diesel) at a cost of $50
- Ark: Survival Ascended de-bundled but made more expensive, now set to cost $60 (??)
- Ark: Survival Ascended is delayed but discounted, it’ll now cost players $40 (but only at launch, then it’ll be $45)
And that brings us to today – what a wild ride.
In a recent newsletter post published by Studio Wildcard, the developer behind this dinosaur-packed ecosystem, it was said:
After much deliberation, we’ve decided to delay the launch of ARK: Survival Ascended to later this year and ship the title on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC in October 2023. We’ve found it challenging working with Unreal Engine 5.2, but at the same time, it is incredibly exciting.
However, this now means that the impending shutdown of Ark: Survival Evolved has been delayed to September – not that it means anything, as it’s just a delay of the inevitable, really.
Furthermore, Wildcard stated that The Island and Scorched Earth – a follow-up expansion – will be separated. Then, as 2024 unfolds, more maps will be added, ensuring a post-launch roadmap effectively exists.
What are your thoughts on the Ark debacle?
The… DebArkle. No?
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the potential Red Dead Redemption remaster on the horizon.
