Vin Diesel-Starring ARK 2 Delayed Once Again

Studio Wildcard has delayed ARK 2 again - and it's now aiming for 2028. The studio says it wants to keep ARK: Survival Ascended rolling with big updates (and a major 2027 expansion) and use that live feedback to avoid repeating the rough edges the original ARK launched with.

ARK 2’s new target: 2028

ARK 2 has moved far enough away that it’s basically a “future you” problem now.

• First revealed: 2020 (The Game Awards)
• Original release plan: 2023
• Pushed in April 2023 to: 2024
• Now targeting: 2028

Studio Wildcard says the 2024 window has “come and gone”, and the new plan is five years after that original 2023 target. That also makes it eight years after the 2020 reveal trailer with Vin Diesel.

ARK: Survival Ascended is the main focus for now

Instead of rushing the sequel out, the studio is building out a long runway of content for ARK: Survival Ascended.

• A remaster called ARK: Survival Ascended arrived in late 2023
• The first major expansion, The Lost Colony, released last week
• A two-year roadmap includes seven major content updates
• The roadmap builds towards Legacy of Santiago in Q4 2027

The studio co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz says the roadmap is part of a deliberate transition plan, so players don’t feel like the team just ditched the older game overnight.

(If you’re into the behind-the-scenes side of these decisions, our Game Development coverage is a good rabbit hole.)

Why Studio Wildcard says it’s delaying ARK 2

This delay isn’t framed as “we need more time”, full stop. The studio gave two very specific reasons.

• Let Survival Ascended last longer while players still want content
• Use live updates to test ARK 2 mechanics and iterate based on feedback

Stieglitz says they “hard-stopped” updates for ARK: Survival Evolved before players were ready, and people were not happy about it. The new approach is basically: don’t say goodbye until the audience actually wants you to.

And on the sequel side, the idea is risk control. The team can try systems inside a live game, fix what doesn’t work, and avoid shipping ARK 2 with the sort of issues that made the original ARK a lightning rod at launch.

Legacy of Santiago: the “test bed” for ARK 2

The key piece of the roadmap is Legacy of Santiago, currently planned for the end of 2027.

• Planned release window: Q4 2027
• Described as a major expansion for Survival Ascended
• Purpose: try out mechanics intended for ARK 2

Studio Wildcard’s pitch is simple: it’s safer to test big ideas in a game that’s already live, where they can react quickly. If something lands badly, they can adjust. If it lands well, it becomes a stronger foundation for the standalone sequel.

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