The recently released trailer for the new Ark: Survival Evolved expansion, titled Ark: Aquatica, has sparked significant backlash from the Ark community. Publisher Snail Games unveiled the trailer following their announcement at GDC of the "in-house developed new expansion map." Set in an ambitious underwater environment, the expansion promises that 95% of the gameplay will occur beneath the surface, presenting it as a non-canonical side story to the original game.
The reaction from fans has been overwhelmingly negative, with prominent Ark content creator, Irish YouTuber Syntac, who boasts over 1.9 million subscribers, publicly denouncing the trailer. "This is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourselves," Syntac commented, a sentiment echoed by many others in the community who labeled the trailer as "pathetic" and "embarrassing." The trailer is criticized for its evident use of generative AI imagery, resulting in various visual anomalies such as fish that blur in and out of existence, a grotesquely deformed hand holding a spear gun, a levitating octopus near an ambiguous shipwreck, and human feet morphing into flippers.
Marvel as this man's foot magically turns into a fin.
In response to the controversy, the original developers of Ark: Survival Evolved, Studio Wildcard, have distanced themselves from the project. They clarified on social media that Ark: Aquatica is not developed by their team, emphasizing their focus on producing Ark: Survival Ascended and Ark 2. They also announced excitement for the upcoming Ark: Lost Colony, a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that will lead into the sequel.
The future of Ark 2 has been uncertain after missing its previously planned late 2024 release window. However, Studio Wildcard confirmed this week that development on the dinosaur survival sequel is ongoing. Meanwhile, fans can look forward to the involvement of Ark: The Animated Series star Michelle Yeoh, who reprises her role in the trailer for Ark: Aquatica.
