Ark 2 has been delayed, Ark 1 is getting a $40 upgrade that will kill last-gen servers
The studio behind Ark: Survival Evolved has announced a delay for the game’s sequel and plans for a paid current-gen upgrade to the original game.
In a blog post on the official Ark website, Studio Wildcard said that the Ark 2, which had previously been planned for a 2023 release, has now been held back until 2024.
In the meantime, the studio is releasing a current-gen upgrade for the original Ark: Survival Evolved, but this will be a paid upgrade.
On top of this, players who choose not to upgrade will lose some online functionality, as the official last-gen servers will be switched off.
Announcing the delay, the studio wrote: “We’ve put much thought into delaying ARK 2 for the betterment of the final product and the team’s well-being. This news will be disappointing to many – we feel it too – but we’re confident this heavy decision is the right one.
“So why the delay? Our goal is to make ARK 2 the best game it can be and provide a truly exceptional and rewarding experience for players. Unreal Engine 5 is incredibly new technology to us (and all developers), and we aim to use this cutting-edge tech to its fullest potential while creating a game with never-before-achieved scope at Studio Wildcard.
“As we learn more about the engine and develop the sequel, we have adapted our workflows and adjusted our pipelines to accommodate this new next-generation paradigm, and because of everything that involves, we need more time for development.”
The studio also announced Ark: Survival Ascended, a “next-generation remaster” of Survival Evolved, which uses Unreal Engine 5.
This remaster will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC in August 2023, but it won’t be a free upgrade.
Instead, Xbox and PC players will only be able to get it via
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