Ark 2 - What We Know So Far

Studio Wildcard had some major news to share with Ark fans at The Game Awards 2020. It's been over three years since the official release of Ark: Survival Evolved, which saw players attempting to survive an island inhabited with prehistoric creatures, dangerous human enemies, and natural hazards. Now, a follow-up is finally on its way. Studio Wildcard revealed Ark 2 via an epic trailer during the awards show on Dec. 10, featuring a prehistoric tribe in the jungle, dinosaurs, and even an unexpected action star.

In addition to Ark 2, Studio Wildcard unveiled a trailer for the new Ark: The Animated Series, which explores the story of Helena, a biologist studying the wildlife on the island Ark. The series is filled with a star-studded cast including Elliot Page and Vin Diesel, and it's set for release some time in 2022.

In the meantime, here's everything we know so far about Ark 2.

Studio Wildcard already experienced development delays with the Genesis expansion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Studio Wildcard also took its time with Ark 2, developing something that appears to be very different from its open world, online multiplayer predecessor. In fact, Studio Wildcard co-founder Jesse Rapczak revealed in an interview with Gamesindustrybiz in August 2019 that he had already seen a different future for Ark 2. 

"Ark has been an open-ended survival sandbox experience. We still want to maintain that but we want to layer on top this sort of more directed experience because we feel like that might be more the direction we want to go in future if we do Ark 2," Rapczak said. "We want to be unshackled from what Ark: Survival Evolved is."

Finally, during Bethesda's livestream showcase on June 12, 2022, it was revealed that Ark 2 will be arriving in 2023. However, a specific date still eludes excited fans.

The lengthy Ark 2 cinematic trailer shown at The Game Awards opened up on a young girl admiring an exotic plant in the jungle. She was then approached by a muscular figure wearing tribal gear, who appeared to be the leader of a war tribe. The two traveled through the jungle alongside what looked to be their prehistoric family until they were attacked by a gang of vicious beasts with sharp fangs and low growls. As if that weren't bad enough, a T-rex came along to shake things up, but the tribe leader managed to fend it off long enough to run away.

After a bloody battle with their enemies, the tribe leader and the young girl entered a cave, where a glowing technological structure awaited. The tribe leader approached a tablet featuring his profile, where it was revealed that his name was Santiago Da Costa. Not much else is known about Ark 2's plot beyond what viewers saw in the trailer, but the focus on this new Santiago character did leave fans questioning what the future of the Ark series may hold.

One of the biggest and most surprising aspects of the Ark 2 reveal was that Santiago is actually played by Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel, and his video game resemblance is ridiculously spot-on. Some Ark fans found the unexpected cast member to be a bit humorous, with one Twitter user noting that it "sounds like a meme. Next up Minecraft 2 with Tom Cruise."

Still, others couldn't help but admit that seeing another prominent action star in a video game (looking at you, Keanu Reeves and Cyberpunk 2077) was pretty neat. At the time of this writing, Diesel is the only confirmed cast member for Ark 2. However, his name is also mentioned in the cast list for the Ark animated series, so it could be possible that Ark 2 will see an overlap with the cartoon's other talent, which includes Gerard Butler, David Tennant, and more.

We may not know when to expect Ark 2 right now, but we do know its platform. Following the reveal at The Game Awards, Aaron Greenberg, general manager of Xbox Games Marketing at Microsoft, tweeted that Ark 2 would be coming "exclusively to Xbox Series X|S consoles." However, it is not clear if this is a timed-exclusive title or if it will solely be on the new Xbox generation. The official Ark: Survival Evolved Twitter account also revealed that Ark 2 will be a "next gen online multiplayer sandbox."

Ark: Survival Evolved recently received updates for the Series X|S. The upgrade trailer included side-by-side comparisons of the game's scenes in the Xbox One's 720p vs. the Series X|S's 4K resolution, resulting in more vibrant color schemes that capture the game's true beauty. Ark 2 will no doubt feature similar breathtaking graphics on the Series X|S.