On March 31, Studio Wildcard announced that the survival game Ark 2 starring Vin Diesel would be delayed until 2024 and that a remaster of the original game Ark Survival Evolved created with Unreal Engine 5 would be released under the title Ark Survival Ascended. Along with Survival Ascended, you’ll get access to the full version of Ark 2 for $50. However, the developer has now changed their plans and announced that Survival Ascended will be sold separately for $59.99 and will no longer include access to the sequel as we get closer to Ark 2’s release date.
Survival Ascended, the UE5-based remake of the first Ark game, was originally intended to be a free upgrade before Studio Wildcard confirmed it would come bundled with the full sequel to Ark 2 for $50 (£39.99).
The move was criticized for requiring players who owned the original Ark Survival Evolved to purchase the game, as well as committing to buying Ark 2, a game that is not expected to release until late 2024 and has yet to receive its first playable process. trailer.
In response, Studio Wildcard canceled their plans for the Ark remaster and will sell Ark Survival Ascended without the inclusion of Ark 2. The new bundle will include a remastered version of Ark Survival Evolved along with several expansion packs. However, many of them have not been released currently and some are not expected until mid-2024.
The Island, Survival of the Fittest, and Scorched Earth DLCs will be included and remastered as part of Survival Ascended at launch, but everything else promised in the pack has yet to be revealed.
This includes the Aberration expansion scheduled for Q4 2023, Extinction scheduled for Q1 2024, and two Genesis expansions also arriving in Q1 and Q2 of next year.
The originally announced Ark bundle, which included Survival Ascended and access to Ark 2, was $50; an alternate version that would also include all expansions was originally planned for $90 (£70).
However, Studio Wildcard’s new version, which doesn’t include Ark 2, instead only offering a remaster of Survival Ascended, and its expansions will cost upwards of $59.99 (£49.99).
“We appreciate your patience as we digest feedback and consult with our partners to re-evaluate our plans for the future,” says Studio Wildcard. “As always, we are very grateful to have such a passionate player base and we listen and understand their concerns. We have decided to make some changes and provide more information about why we are taking this approach.
“Our goal was to provide a bundle where you essentially get two products for the price of one. In hindsight, not the best move. our evil; We understand that combining Ark Survival Ascended with Ark 2 and requiring more DLC updates was not optimal, especially since you won’t be able to judge Ark 2 since neither the game nor the content will be available yet.”
Studio Wildcard also confirms that the servers for the original Ark Survival Evolved game will be shutting down on August 31, 2023. The studio claims that the graphical and gameplay changes required for the remaster would not have been possible using the original game’s codebase, and that Rather than repeat the first Survival Evolved, the developer decided to start over with a completely new Survival Ascended.
“You may be wondering why we don’t bring these updates to the original Ark Survival Evolved.” write the study “Frankly, that wouldn’t be feasible. Many of the changes we are making to Ark Survival Ascended will affect many aspects of the game; it will invalidate your save data, some mods may not work, some things may not work like they used to, and we didn’t want to change that experience for those who prefer it or can’t upgrade.
“It also influenced our decision to shut down the official ASE network on August 31, shortly before the launch of ASA. We justify this decision by saying that these servers are mostly based on old technologies and require significant resources and development time for our teams to operate and maintain.
“In some cases, the problems are not so easy to fix without a general update,” continues Studio Wildcard. “Additionally, we know that these resources could be better utilized for innovative new technology to further enhance the overall gaming experience for all players.”
Studio Wildcard confirms that Ark Survival Evolved will continue to be playable offline and on unofficial private multiplayer servers. Ark Survival Ascended is due out in August, while Ark 2 with Fast and Furious lead Vin Diesel is due out in 2024.
If you want to keep the original game, check out the best Ark mods for 2023. You’ll also want to take a look at the best games coming to your PC over the next 12 months.
Source : PC Gamesn
