In a significant reveal, Studio Wildcard, in collaboration with Grove Street Games and support from Instinct Games, unveiled the gameplay trailer of “ARK: Survival Ascended” (ASA) today, marking a new era for the beloved franchise.
Enhanced with Unreal Engine 5’s advanced features, the game promises a visual feast and an immersive experience, leveraging fully dynamic Global Illumination (“Lumen”) for hyper-realistic lighting effects.
Jeremy Stieglitz, co-founder of Studio Wildcard, emphasized the game’s commitment to its roots and community. “ASA provides an evergreen adventure that re-energizes the classic ARK experience, one that will continue to grow and leverages the latest tech advancements with UE5, as well as what we’ve been working on with the ARK Franchise as a whole,” he stated.
With a nod to the persistent popularity of the original ARK, Stieglitz assured that ASA would not only adapt but thrive with next-gen enhancements and sustained developer support.
Furthermore, Thomas Williamson of Grove Street Games shared his excitement about expanding the reach of community-created mods to console players. “In ARK, the creative community has developed and shared a wide range of impressive mods that PC players enjoy,” he noted, heralding a unified experience across gaming platforms.
Beyond revamped physics and comprehensive quality-of-life improvements, ASA is set apart by its cross-platform modding. This feature, powered by Overwolf’s CurseForge platform, will allow custom content designed on PC to run on consoles, bridging the gap between different player communities.
With its extensive multiplayer options, ASA aims to foster more interconnected gameplay experiences. It also commits to a dynamic content roadmap encompassing gameplay changes, new DLCs, and seasonal events, starting with its Steam debut at a promotional price of $40.49.
Console gamers can anticipate its arrival on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 come November, with an inclusive modding competition to follow, featuring a $350,000 prize pool for innovative cross-platform mods.
