ARK 2, the sequel to the multiplayer dinosaur survival fantasy game Ark: Survival Evolved, is now confirmed to launch in late 2024 instead of the originally planned 2023 release date. The game will launch on Xbox, Game Pass, and PC (Steam), according to the developer's latest Community Crunch press report.
The delay is mainly due to the studio needing more time to get used to Unreal Engine 5 and optimize the game for the next generation. The team wants to provide not only an improved experience, but also cross-platform modding, cross-platform multiplayer, and a new account system, all of which are features that require an unprecedented amount of technical work.
In addition to the aforementioned features, the team wants to use the next-generation ARK experience, called ARK: Survival Ascended, to test other features it feels are important to have in ARK 2, so fans could consider the next-gen version of ARK (due out in August 2023) as an early-access version of ARK 2 in a way (and the team is clear about which features it wants to keep or expand on going forward).
The engine Survival Ascended will be using is a sort of intermediary engine that uses some of the technology the team is currently developing, and since Unreal Engine 5 development is a new experience for all developers, Studio Wildcard wants to continue to refine its knowledge of the engine alongside fans to make the ARK 2 experience as perfect as possible on launch.
Another reason hinted at in the report is that ARK 2 is a very different game from Evolved, both in tone and mechanics. It features Souls-like combat, primitive-only weapons, and is strictly third-person, a vastly different direction compared to the first game which had a first-person perspective and modern firearms.
With that in mind, the team didn't want the original players to feel left out. That's why the decision to move to the next generation involves both old fans and new fans.
Current fans will enjoy a modern experience with all the QoL components that will be adapted into ARK 2, such as dynamic water and interactive foliage (as well as all the cross-platform stuff), and ARK 2 will introduce a more refined experience technical wise in addition to a completely different approach to the series's iconic brand of prehistoric immersion.