ARK 2, the sequel to ARK: Survival Evolved from Studio Wildcard, has reportedly been delayed to the year 2025.
Support studio Digital Domain has stated on page 17 of its annual report for the year 2022 that ARK 2 is expected to release sometime during Spring 2025, implying that the game has been delayed. If true, this would be the second time the game has received a delay within this month, as it was originally scheduled for a 2023 release but was recently pushed to the end of 2024 by Studio Wildcard.
According to Digital Domain, the support studio is continuing its relationship with the team at Studio Wildcard as it prepares for the
highly anticipated release of ARK 2, the follow up to its award-winning predecessor, ARK. Currently, Digital Domain is assisting with the creation of several “in-game” assets. Digital Domain stated that it anticipates being intimately involved in all aspects of the project through the game’s release in spring of 2025.
Previously, it was revealed that Studio Wildcard had backtracked on the previously promised free upgrade for ARK: Survival Evolved, instead opting to charge an exorbitant price for it. Earlier this year in January, the co-founder of Studio Wildcard and the lead designer/programmer & co-creative director of ARK: Survival Evolved, Jeremy Stieglitz, had suggested that existing owners would receive a “complete free upgrade” for the remastered version of the game, which has been developed in UnrealEngine 5.
Recently, however, the studio revealed via its recent Community Crunch blog post that existing owners of ARK: Survival Evolved will not receive a free upgrade for ARK: Survival Ascended, the next-generation remaster that harnesses the power of Unreal Engine 5. According to the developer, it will be released on Xbox Series S/X, PC (Windows/Steam), and PlayStation 5 by the end of August 2023. Xbox Series S/X and PC players will only be able to gain access to ARK: Survival Ascended via an ultimate-value bundle known as the ARK Respawned Bundle. This bundle will include ownership of both ARK: Survival Ascended and ARK 2, and will sell for $49.99.