Ark 2 Gets Disappointing Update as Dinosaur Survival Game Optimistically Pushed Back to 2027

Ark 2, the long-awaited sequel to Ark: Survival Evolved, was originally slated to launch as early as 2023, but it was later delayed to late 2024, and shortly after that deadline was missed, the Steam release date was simply changed to “to be announced.” Now, however, the studio behind the Ark franchise, Studio Wildcard, says that it is optimistic for a 2027 launch. In an interview with PCGamesN, co-founders of the studio, Jesse Rapczak and Jeremy Stieglitz, said that the studio put Ark 2 on hold partially to make Ark Survival Ascended, which has helped the team further come to grips with Unreal Engine 5 and test out the new capabilities and technologies on offer from the new game engine.

“A small portion of our team continues to refine the mechanics of [Ark 2’s] combat… It’s very difficult to do soulslike combat in a multiplayer PvP context,” says Stieglitz, adding that at least 18 months of focussed development work will be required to turn the existing content for Ark 2 into a playable early access game. Ark Survival Ascended has since launched in the meantime, and in the interview with PCGamesN, the game studio’s executives say that it is still looking for the right time to pivot its development efforts from Ascended to Ark 2 without compromising the revenue stream generated by Ark Survival Ascended. Wildcard and prior Ark 2 trailers have made a number of ambitious promises when it comes to Ark 2, including a revamped traversal system, soulslike PVP combat, and a switch to third-person gameplay. The new game will also include NPC enemies—other than the wild beasts usually encountered in current Ark games—further complicating the development of the new game.