Free Nordic-Style Fjordur Map Released Today, Base Game Free on Steam, Remake of ARK Switch to Include Star Voice Talent, and Animated Series Character Artwork Reveal

Seattle, WA – JUNE 12, 2022 – Studio Wildcard revealed today new details of its highly anticipated sequel ARK 2 during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. Starring the talents of Vin Diesel (Fast Franchise) as the hero protagonist Santiago and announcing Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) as the voice of Santiago’s daughter Meeka, Studio Wildcard is using Unreal Engine 5’s photorealistic real-time lighting technology for this reimagined, next-generation survival experience. ARK 2 will launch in 2023, simultaneously on Steam Early Access and as a console launch exclusive for Xbox Series X|S and with Xbox and PC Game Pass on Game Preview.

ARK 2 features revealed today include:

• BEST IN CLASS, THIRD-PERSON GAMEPLAY – Advanced character traversal mechanics include mantling, free-climbing, parkour, sliding, and swinging!
• REVOLUTIONARY CROSS-PLATFORM MODDING – Fully stackable, user-created Mods for new creatures, items and gameplay features, with maps distributed across all platforms – including onto Xbox – and support for modded servers enabled through official mod support by mod.io
• SOULS-LIKE MELEE COMBAT – Target-lock, blocks, dodges, combos, staggers and special attacks all emphasize player-skill based action.
• MASSIVE, NEW ALIEN ENVIRONMENT – Explore a mysterious, chaotic world where native flora and fauna are being overrun by invasive primeval creatures, from an extinct Earth.
• COMPONENT-BASED ITEM CRAFTING – Construct weapons and tools from a range of distinct modules to customize their look and functionality — millions of possible combinations enable players to craft their own unique gear! Specific materials will further affect the appearance of items, with multiple resource options in unique regions of the world.
• DYNAMIC WORLD EVENTS – Natural and unnatural occurrences are always happening across the game world, independent of your presence! Your choices in deciding whether to interact with these events will yield rewards or challenges.
• OPPOSING PVE FORCE – Hostile ‘Aratai’ hunt & attack you while riding their own tamed creatures, as they seek to drive human interlopers from their world.

ARK: Survival Evolved Now Free-To-Own on Steam
Head to Steam where ARK: Survival Evolved is free-to-permanently-own for anyone who claims the game before 10 am PDT on June 19! This is a limited-time offer, so aspiring survivalists should get it now to join the adventure!

ARK Fjordur Releases Today
Fjordur, the newest official ARK community map, released today on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Stadia! Free to download for all ARK players, this Nordic style, cold-weather map features four new creatures to tame and over 140 sq kilometers of new biomes, new challenges, and rewarding discoveries!

ARK Nintendo Switch Ultimate Survivor Edition to Feature Star Voice Talent
Launching in September 2022, ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition has new story cutscenes bookending each ARK map, featuring actors Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time) and David Tennant (Doctor Who) reprising their respective roles as Helena Walker and Sir Edmund Rockwell. All of Helena’s and Rockwell’s Dossiers and Explorer Notes will also be voiced by the actors, as will survivors’ epic confrontation versus Rockwell on ARK Aberration. Madden will also voice the cheery robot-AI guide HLN-A in the “Young Explorers Mode” that will lead players through ARK in a low-pressure, kid-friendly, dino-fact-filled adventure.

Existing owners of ARK: Survival Evolved on Switch will receive a free update to the game with all progress and Save data maintained. Tune in at 4:30pm EDT, Monday, June 13, to /twitchgaming livestream to see the first gameplay of ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition on Switch.

ARK Development & Grove Street Games Partnership:
Studio Wildcard has teamed-up with Grove Street Games to co-develop ARK 2 and for Grove Street to rewrite the ARK Nintendo Switch code with a full revamp of gameplay functionality, graphics, and optimization. Furthermore, Thomas Williamson, Director of Grove Street, will be Development Director and Technical Director of ARK 2 with cross sections of the Grove Street Games team also joining ARK 2’s production in a development partnership. Co-founders of Studio Wildcard, Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, will balance time between games and the transmedia expansion of the ARK franchise, with Stieglitz focusing creative efforts on the TV series and other initiatives, whilst continuing to serve as Executive Producer of ARK 2. Rapczak will continue as Creative Director of ARK 2 and co-creator of the TV series.

“Thomas Williamson is one of the greatest designer-programmers and technical visionaries working in the games industry today. I am beyond-thrilled that he and the incredibly talented team at Grove Street Games have opted to go all-in on partnering up to build the next iterations of the ARK franchise. By combining Grove Street’s amazing capabilities with the brilliant creators at Studio Wildcard, ARK 2 is going to be a mind-blowing experience.” – Jeremy Stieglitz, Co-Creator of ARK and Co-Founder of Studio Wildcard.

“The team at Studio Wildcard includes many of the most passionate game developers in the world. At Grove Street Games, we’re thrilled. We get to work with a group of excellent people that care so much about their fans, franchise, and moving the industry forward. Together, we will combine the unrivaled ARK universe with the best possible game technology, and construct the ultimate survival experience.” – said Thomas Williamson, Director of Grove Street Games.

ARK: The Animated Series
The original TV series based on the hit game franchise, “ARK: The Animated Series” now has fourteen 30-minute episodes in post-production! To celebrate this milestone, Studio Wildcard has released the first poster images of key characters from the show.

Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox) has taken on the role of Executive Producer, Director, and Co-Showrunner, alongside ARK franchise creators Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, with the series being produced at Glendale-based Lex+Otis animation studio. Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded) and Dee Bradley Baker (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) have also joined the series’ talented cast.

“ARK: The Animated Series” features an extraordinary voice cast, including Gerard Butler (300), Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time), Devery Jacobs (American Gods), Deborah Mailman (Total Control), Zahn McClarnon (Doctor Sleep), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy), Ragga Ragnars (Vikings), David Tennant (Good Omens), Alan Tudyk (Rogue One), Karl Urban (The Boys), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), Ron Yuan (Mulan), with Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and Vin Diesel reprising his role as franchise hero, Santiago.

For the latest ARK updates, follow us on Twitter, join our Discord, subscribe to our YouTube, visit the Website at playark.com, and watch us tame and train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.

ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD
Founded in 2014 by industry veterans Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, Studio Wildcard’s mission is to bring AAA quality to ambitious indie titles designed for core gamers. The team emphasizes direct communication with its active community, implements player feedback into its fast, iterative dev cycle, and provides tools to drive user-generated content. Studio Wildcard includes distributed developers across multiple continents, as wherever talented developers reside, Wildcard seeks them out! www.studiowildcard.com

ABOUT GROVE STREET GAMES
Located in Gainesville, FL, Grove Street Games has been an influential game developer since 2007. They have delighted fans of the world’s greatest games with bold interpretations on new platforms, and have delivered fresh and original games to millions of happy players. They have grown to be a leader in the industry because of their commitment to building incredible and accessible gaming experiences. Their games can be found worldwide across all major gaming devices, including consoles, PC, and mobile. www.grovestreetgames.com

ABOUT mod.io
mod.io is the leading user-generated content (UGC) solution for game studios and publishers. Since its launch in 2019, mod.io has delivered 1.5 million mods for 110 games, to players across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, mobile and VR. mod.io offers an automated, scalable, easy-to-implement platform designed for the studios seeking to harness UGC in their game. The results are long-term player engagement, and a cross-platform pathway to creator economies.  Created by the team behind ModDB, mod.io brings more than 20 years of experience to game developers seeking to unlock their community’s creativity.