ARK Survival Ascended: Wildcard Revises Pricing Strategy in Response to Community Feedback

Published: Apr. 08, 2023
Updated: Apr. 09, 2023

German English

Last week's announcement that Wildcard would release ARK Survival Ascended, an ARK 1 remaster on Unreal Engine 5, in late August with an additional payment sparked controversy. Now, the developers are adjusting their strategy.

In Community Crunch 356, Wildcard's weekly dev blog, they address the backlash against the remasters pricing. Initially, the remaster was to be bundled with ARK 2 for PC and Xbox players, with additional costs for DLCs. However, due to community criticism, the developers have revised their plans.

ARK 2 Removed from Ascended Bundle, Price Reduction Implemented

Previously, Wildcard intended to offer ARK Survival Ascended alongside ARK 2 in a bundle for $49.99, with two expansion passes priced at $19.99 each. This meant fans would pay roughly $90 for the full remaster and ARK 2, while PlayStation players would pay $80.

Due to community backlash, Wildcard has now changed their plans:

ARK Survival Ascended will now cost $59.99 across all platforms, including:

  • The Island (Released at Launch)
  • Survival of the Fittest: The Island & Scorched Earth map variants (Released at Launch)
  • Scorched Earth (Released at Launch)
  • Aberration (Released by Q4 2023)
  • Extinction (Released by Q1 2024)
  • Genesis Part 1 (Released by Q1 2024)
  • Genesis Part 2 (Released by Q2 2024)
  • All community-created maps to be released throughout 2024 (Fjordur, Ragnarok, The Center, Lost Island, Valguero, Crystal Isles)

Players will now pay just under $60 for the remastered ARK 1, with ARK 2 no longer included and set for a separate release in late 2024. ARK 2's price is still unknown, but it will be available on Xbox Game Pass.

More Information on the ARK Remaster

The Unreal Engine 5 remaster initially aimed to lift graphics restrictions from the Switch version of ARK 1. Still, Wildcard has opted to develop the remaster from scratch, benefiting both the remaster and ARK 2. Features of the UE5 remaster include:

  • Dynamic navigation mesh and creature pathfinding overhaul (AI pathfinding)
  • Photo Mode
  • Nvidia DLSS
  • Dino/Baby Management QOL
  • Wild Babies
  • Snap point improvements (new snaps, logic improvements)
  • Character creation & customization enhancements
  • Cross-platform Multiplayer & Full Blueprint Modding
  • And more

Share your thoughts on the revised pricing and plans in the comments. For more ARK: Survival Evolved guides, check out our guide overview, and join our Discord server to chat with other players and us.

Sascha Asendorf is the co-founder of Guided.news and has been running online magazines in the gaming sector since 2013. Starting with a strong focus on survival games, Sascha now deals a lot with role-playing games and is an expert on survival and RPG titles like Conan Exiles, Baldurs Gate 3 & Cyberpunk 2077.
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