If you were hoping to ride dinosaurs with Vin Diesel anytime soon, you might want to settle into your cryopod. Studio Wildcard has officially pushed the release window for Ark 2 to 2028, marking another significant delay for the highly anticipated survival sequel.
First announced at The Game Awards in 2020, Ark 2 was originally slated for 2023 before slipping to 2024, and eventually into "nebulous" territory. This new 2028 target was confirmed by publisher Snail Games during an Investor Day event at the NASDAQ Marketsite this week.
A New Roadmap for Survival
While the wait for the sequel is long, Studio Wildcard is using the extra time to bridge the gap through Ark: Survival Ascended. Co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz revealed a two-year roadmap that uses the current game as a live testing ground for the sequel's ambitious new features.
Ark: Survival Ascended Success: The game has now surpassed 4 million copies sold across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The "Legacy of Santiago" Expansion: Arriving in late 2027, this major DLC will serve as a direct narrative prequel to Ark 2. It will introduce key gameplay mechanics planned for the sequel, allowing the team to iterate based on live player feedback before Ark 2 launches.
Karl Urban Joins the Fray: The studio recently showcased the in-game model for Bob, a legendary franchise character voiced by The Boys star Karl Urban. Urban's likeness is being fully integrated using Unreal Engine 5 Metahuman technology.
Vin Diesel and the Creative Vision
Vin Diesel remains attached to the project not just as a star, but as the "President of Creative Convergence" at Studio Wildcard. While Diesel plays the protagonist, Santiago, PC Gamer reports that the full extent of his involvement in the final game remains an "open question" depending on performance capture availability.
Expanding the Ark Universe
The franchise continues to grow beyond the games to keep fans engaged during the long wait:
Ark: The Animated Series: After a quiet debut last year, the second part of the series is officially scheduled to arrive in 2026.
Survival of the Fittest: A relaunched, 60-player competitive spin-off is planned for early 2026 to bolster the franchise's esports presence.
By pushing the sequel to 2028, Ark 2 effectively sidesteps the massive industry shadow cast by the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6. For fans, this means at least two more years of content updates for Survival Ascended before the next-gen evolution finally arrives.
Would you like me to break down the specific "Soulslike" combat mechanics that Jeremy Stieglitz mentioned are coming to the Legacy of Santiago expansion?
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