Ark 2 has been delayed. Originally set to arrive sometime this year, Studio Wildcard said that they need more time to learn the ins and outs of Unreal Engine 5 and won’t be able to get Ark 2 out before the end of next year."After careful consideration, we have decided to delay the sequel's launch to the end of 2024, when it will still launch exclusively on Xbox, Game Pass, and Windows distribution platforms (Steam/PC)," wrote Studio Wildcard in a recent blog update. "This news will be disappointing to many - we feel it too - but we’re confident this heavy decision is the right one."Related: I Want Vin Diesel To Be In A New Game Every YearIn addition to adapting workflows and adjusting pipelines "to accommodate this new next-generation paradigm," Studio Wildcard said that it plans to learn Unreal Engine 5 by remastering Ark: Survival Evolved in the next-gen engine. Ark: Survival Ascended will add new features like crossplay, cross-platform modding, and the Survival of the Fittest game mode in addition to all the fancy graphical upgrades courtesy of Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite and Lumen technology.

However, Ark: Survival Ascended won’t be a free upgrade. Players on PC and Xbox Series X will have to pay $49.99 for the remaster, which will also be bundled along with Ark 2. Since Ark 2 won’t be available on PlayStation 5, those players will be able to purchase Ark: Survival Ascended for just $39.99. The remastered game will launch with The Island and "non-canon" DLC maps, while Ark’s expansions will be repackaged, remastered, and resold in the Explorer’s Pass and Genesis Pass which will each cost $19.99.

Worse yet, Studio Wildcard is ending support for the original Ark with the coming of Survival Ascended in August. The original Ark's last update is scheduled for June, and official server support will be taken offline when Survival Ascended arrives. Save data from the official servers will be uploaded to players to re-host on unofficial or private servers, or to use as a single-player character.

As expected, Ark fans are in an uproar over news of an Ark 2 delay, the paid current-gen update, and the removal of official server support for the original Ark. Many are especially upset over being charged for the DLC, which won’t be packaged together with the remaster. Protests have emerged on social media with the Steam version of Ark being review bombed.

Elsewhere in the blog, we learned that Ark 2 will feature "Souls-like combat, primitive-only weaponry, and strict third-person mechanics – and an overall 'very serious' tone." However, we won't see images, teasers, or trailers until next year.

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