ARK 2 gets delayed until 2024. Learn more about why ARK 2 gets delayed, ARK: Survival Ascended, its release details, and whether you should buy it.
Ark 2 Delayed Until 2024
Devs Claim To Produce The Best Game And Ensure Team Well-Being
Ark 2 will be delayed until 2024. Despite the delay, the game will remain available exclusively on Xbox, Game Pass, and Windows distribution platforms such as Steam and PC. The devs decided to delay the game to produce the best game possible and ensure the well-being of the development team. The game will utilize the new technology of Unreal Engine 5 to its fullest potential, creating a game with a never-before-achieved scope at Studio Wildcard.
To further their mastery of the new engine and test out their riskier technical advancements, Studio Wildcard plans to create an intermediary Unreal Engine 5 ARK product. This product will allow players to continue enjoying the original ARK experience with fully next-gen technology.
ARK: Survival Ascended Available on August 2023
ARK: Survival Evolved Remaster Using UE5
In the meantime, Studio Wildcard will release Ark: Survival Ascended, a next-gen remaster of Ark: Survival Evolved, using Unreal Engine 5. The base game will include The Island, SOTF, and all non-canon DLC maps.
Xbox Series S|X and PC players can get Ark: Survival Ascended through an ultimate-value bundle called ARK Respawned Bundle for $49.99, which includes ownership of both Ark: Survival Ascended and Ark 2. This bundle will be available for up to one year from the end of August 2023. PlayStation 5 users can get ARK: Survival Ascended as a standalone next-gen game at launch in August 2023 for $39.99.
Is ARK Respawned Bundle worth buying?
Appealing To New Players, But Not To Existing Players
The lack of discounts or free updates for existing ARK: Survival Evolved players to transition to ARK: Survival Ascended could be considered unfair. It could be perceived as a way for the developer to only focus on attracting new players rather than acknowledging the loyalty and support of their existing player base.
For those who have been playing and supporting the original game for a long time, paying full price for a remastered version with only slight changes may seem like a bad deal. This could damage the brand loyalty that these players have built up over time, as it may make them feel undervalued and unappreciated.
Additionally, the bundle may not be as appealing to existing players as it is to new players, as they already own the original game and may not want to pay for it again. This could result in existing players feeling left out or overlooked, which could ultimately hurt the reputation of the game and the developer.