Goed en slecht nieuws voor de fans van de ARK-games onder ons. Eerst het slechte nieuws: Studio Wildcard heeft in een nieuwsbericht aangekondigd dat ARK II niet meer zal uitkomen in 2023 zoals gepland. In plaats daarvan mogen we de game aan het einde van 2024 verwachten, dit omdat het werken met Unreal Engine 5 best veel gewenning vraagt en wat problemen heeft opgeleverd. ARK II zal uitkomen op de Xbox Series X|S en pc (en zal inbegrepen zitten in Game Pass).

Het goede nieuws dan: tegelijkertijd werd ook ‘ARK: Survival Ascended’ aangekondigd. Dit is een remaster van ARK: Survival Evolved (met Unreal Engine 5) voor Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 en pc. Deze nieuwe versie zal in augustus van dit jaar uitkomen en brengt heel wat (grafische) verbeteringen met zich mee. Let wel op: na de launch van deze remaster, zullen de officiële servers van de vorige versie offline gaan. Save files zullen echter automatisch overgebracht worden naar de geremasterde versie.

Lees hieronder alle toevoegingen en veranderingen van ARK: Survival Ascended na.

  • Unreal Engine 5 Overhaul with Nanite, Lumen and RTXDI
  • Dynamic Water
  • Interactive Foliage
  • Unreal Engine 5 performance gains: instanced-rendering (large-bases etc.), threaded server networking, and native physics engine
  • Cross-platform Multiplayer
    • This includes cross-platform accounts and cross-progression, cross-voice chat & friends, etc. No matter what platform you start playing on, you can access your account, character, dinos, and items on a different platform for the ultimate cross-platform experience.
  • Cross-platform Modding
    • We recognize the power of giving players the tools and capability to define their survival experience, so we want to take cross-platform one step further by working with  Overwolf  to introduce an industry-first cross-platform modding experience where mods created on PC are delivered directly to end-users’ consoles from a custom modding backend.
    • The modding capability will include FULL blueprinting support ;), stacked mods, and maps. Everything that is currently possible on the Steam version of ARK: Survival Evolved and more will be possible on the new system and be available for end-users to play on consoles in all modes.
    • Premium Mods: Reviewed by Overwolf and Wildcard for quality control and value, Mod authors will optionally be able to specify price points for their Mods (with 50% of the price point going to the Mod author). This is necessary to pay for the custom infrastructure required for Overwolf to support, administrate, and deliver Mods to the console.
    • We plan on streamlining the process of upgrading legacy ARK: Survival Evolved mods to the next-generation platform. We plan to reach out to current/former sponsored modders in preparation for the launch of ASA with the tools they need to get their mods ready before the launch.
  • Cross-platform Anti-Cheat
  • Survival of the Fittest
    • SOTF will be integrated into the main product as a new fully-supported game mode. It will have a dedicated team that will continue to work on more gameplay changes, mechanical improvements, quality of life, maps, and balance adjustments. The initial mode will be revamped with an exclusive ARK: Survival Ascended update, including:
      • Upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 with complete cross-platform and cross-modding support (the SOTF UE5 source content will be released for modders to utilize as they wish within ASA)
      • Scorched Earth SOTF Map
      • Matchmaking queue
      • Character and Creature customization with cosmetics
      • Local Lobby where you can group up with your friends, configure the look of your survivor and dinos, and queue up for lobbies together
      • Lots of bug-fixes and balance and functionality improvements
  • Art Assets are being upgraded throughout the entire game
  • Newly-designed holiday events take advantage of the next-gen pipeline, released as mods, so they’re always available to play!
  • New content, QOL improvements, balance, and gameplay changes, including but not limited to:
    • Updated mini-map (pan, zoom, pings, etc – similar to the SOTF mini-map)
    • New structures (display cases, smaller TEK Teleporters) & building QOL improvements (snap fixes, increased foundation support, foundation height adjustments, and more)
    • Queueing System
    • New third-person camera (with the option to opt out)
    • Directional Sprinting and Walking
    • Ping system
    • Gamepad cursor
    • Chibi Slot and Skins Tab
    • Balance passes (e.g. Cave Entrances, MEKs, Aberration Creatures, more breedable creatures, etc)
    • …and more! (seriously, a lot more, this list isn’t exhaustive, but it’ll get super long if we list everything, and there’s more we’ll decide to do between now and launch too)

With the launch of ASA at the end of August, we will be taking down all Official Servers on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC for ARK: Survival Evolved – at that time, the final save-datas from the ARK: Survival Evolved Official Servers will be uploaded for players to re-host on their own servers or play in singleplayer/non-dedi, as well as slightly earlier snapshots. You will still be able to play on single-player, non-dedicated, player-dedicated, and unofficial servers. ARK: Survival Ascended will have its own fully supported Official Network for all platforms.