Ark: Survival Evolved official servers to be switched off when remaster debuts

gamedeveloper.com:

Studio Wilcard will shut down the official servers for Ark: Survival Evolved when its remaster, Ark: Survival Ascended, launches ater this year. The company has also delayed the sequel, Ark 2, until the end of 2024.

The studio jammed all of that news into a single community update, so let's break it down.

Ark: Survival Ascended is billed as a "next-generation remaster" of Survival Evolved and will launch by the end of August 2023.

Survival Ascended will only be available on PC and Xbox platforms via an "ultimate-value bundle" called Ark Respawned that includes ownership of both Survival Ascended and (eventually) Ark 2. That bundle will set players back $49.99. PlayStation 5 users, meanwhile, will be offered a standalone version for $39.99.

Notably, when that bundle and Survival Ascended finally launch, Studio Wildcard will be taking down the official servers for Survival Evolved on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. It also plans to end official support for features including Primitive+, Split Screen, and Procedurally Generated Maps, and noted those features won't be ported over to the remaster.

Wildcard added that Survival Ascended will be supported with regular updates to resolve bugs, balance changes, and introduce new content, while Survival Evolved updates will be "limited to crashes and critical bug fixes."

Although Survival Evolved's official servers are being scrapped, players will be able to re-host on their own servers or continue their adventure in singleplayer mode. "You will still be able to play on singleplayer, non-dedicated, player-dedicated, and unofficial servers. Ark: Survival Ascended will have its own fully supported Official Network for all platforms," wrote Wildcard.

Those taking a cynical view might suggest