Despite some hope of a late release this year, the sequel ARK: Ascended Survival It's still nowhere to be seen. While the years of delays have begun to cause some understandable concerns, It looks like the developers are starting to prepare players for the upcoming release of ARK 2. Although the official launch is still far away, ARK: Ascended SurvivalThe game's newest expansion aims to begin connecting the original game's story with its long-awaited sequel.
Even though the sequel contains all the classic features that made the original survival game stand out with its unique environments and gameplay mechanics like challenging dinosaur taming, the goal is to take a new direction for the franchise. With ARK 2 placing a much greater focus on delivering a story-driven narrative gaming experience, with named characters and even a big-budget actor like Vin Diesel, is likely a difficult transition for some players to get used to. Fortunately, this upcoming expansion will play a vital role in this transition, with ARK: Lost Colony helping players familiarize themselves with the sequel's setting while introducing them to the story-driven format in a familiar context.
What players can expect from ARK: Lost Colony
Bridging the gap between ARK 2's story and the original
Although the exact details of the next ARK: Lost Colony expansion has not yet been revealed, there is still a lot to unveil in the latest post on X by the official Ark: Ascended Survival X account. Although the post states that the story will take place between the events of Extinction and Genesis expansions, the fact that it will also lead into the sequel means it could be even larger in scope than expectedwhich will likely tie up any loose ends from previous stories.
Another interesting fact is that certain scenes will feature animated sequences from MAPPA, the legendary studio that brought the final season of Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsawman to the silver screen.
Based on the timing of the expansions, there is reason to believe that Lost Colony will take players into the world of Arat Prime, exploring the events and characters players already know in even more detail. In terms of what to expect in terms of gameplay, Lost Colony is introducing a new ice and snow covered tundra for players to explore, facing off against newly themed dinosaurs, and potentially exciting new weapons, used in the trailer by survivor Mei Yin.
Although cutscenes have been a growing part ARK games for years, adding entirely animated segments from such a highly regarded studio is something to look forward to in the new year as players wait for updates on ARK 2release date.
ARK 2 still doesn't have a precise release date
The experimental sequence is still a long way off
Given that ARK 2 was originally announced for release in 2022 nearly half a decade ago, it's understandable that many in the community are frustrated by the lack of news. All the claims about new features like revamped combat and higher fidelity have likely significantly extended development time, especially if the developers plan to fix more of the bugs that have plagued the franchise since its inception.
While Ark: Ascended Survival It was intended to hook players into the sequel while also adding lots of new features, but it didn't receive the most positive reception from both fans and new players.
Despite fan reaction, Ark: Ascended Survival has received a plethora of updates since its release in 2023, with even more DLC arriving in 2025. Even though this did not achieve the same colossal success as the original Evolved Survivalit's still the closest thing fans will get to a sequel for some time.
Even without a concrete release date for ARK 2, There is still hope that ARK: Lost Colony the expansion is the first step in preparing players for a smooth transition to the next sequel in the new yearA.
Source: surviveteark/X