ARK Survival Evolved developers Studio Wildcard have finally responded to the harsh criticisms dished out by the community following the recent announcement of an Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original and beloved ARK Survival Evolved.
Wildcard shocked the community by announcing that the UE5 remake (ARK Survival: Ascended) will now cost $40 on PS5 and $50 on PC and Xbox. Previously, the remake was announced as a free addition when purchasing the highly-anticipated ARK 2.
Here’s Wildcard’s official response to this backlash:
“We have been really excited to deliver an incredible ARK UE5 experience. Admittedly back in January we got ahead of ourselves at that time, as the scope of the project increased, we hadn’t yet realized the full time, development resources, & costs needed to produce a complete next-generation remaster.“
Studio Wildcard
Understandably, the community is quite upset about having to pay for the UE5 remaster after being told it would be free.
Related: Will ARK 2 Have First Person? – Answered
ARK Survival Ascended and ARK 2 Release Dates, ARK Respawned Bundle, and More
Fans of the series may find themselves confused about release dates, how to purchase, and more important info due to the erratic nature of the announcements.
First of all, ARK Survival: Ascended is currently scheduled to release in August 2023, and ARK 2 was recently delayed to late 2024.
Furthermore, you can only obtain ARK Survival Ascended by purchasing the ARK Respawned Bundle. This bundle includes BOTH ARK Survival Ascended and ARK 2 when they release, costs $50, and is only available for PC and Xbox consoles.
Although ARK 2 is an Xbox and PC exclusive, PS5 users will be able to purchase ARK Survival: Ascended as a standalone game for $40 when it launches.
The UE5 remake will also be receiving the DLCs from the original game. However, they will have to be purchased and will be released throughout 2023 and 2024.
Related: Does ARK: Survival Evolved have Cross-Play? – Answered
To me, an ARK UE5 remaster is something I would certainly pay $50 for, especially because it includes ARK 2 as well. However, I do understand that the “broken promise” from Wildcard is rubbing some people the wrong way.
To close, I will be reserving my judgments until we see if the ARK Survival: Ascended launch is a success or not!
