ARK 2 Delayed Until 2028, Originally Planned for 2022

Development of ARK 2 is taking considerably longer than expected. Studio Wildcard currently expects to release the next entry in the survival series in 2028. Compared with the 2023 target, that represents a five-year delay, but the situation is even more significant when compared with the original plans.

ARK 2 was announced at The Game Awards 2020, when Microsoft presented it as a console launch exclusive for Xbox Series X|S, planned for release in 2022. The release window was later pushed to 2023 and then to late 2024. That deadline was also missed, and the current target is now 2028. If it is met, the game will be released approximately six years later than originally planned.

It should be noted that this is not a complete Xbox exclusive. ARK 2 is also planned for PC and was intended for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass from the beginning. Microsoft described it as a “console launch exclusive,” meaning a title that would be available on Xbox at launch on consoles.

Studio Wildcard also plans to use the additional time to gradually test technologies and gameplay systems. In late 2027, the Legacy of Santiago expansion is scheduled to arrive in ARK: Survival Ascended. It will directly follow up on the story of ARK 2 and is also intended to serve as a testing ground for some of the upcoming sequel’s mechanics.

The story’s final form has not yet been definitively settled either. Jeremy Stieglitz of Studio Wildcard admitted that its scope will partly depend on Vin Diesel’s availability. In the game, Diesel portrays Santiago and also serves as one of the project’s executive producers.

Moreover, 2028 is not yet a firm release date. Stieglitz described it as the studio’s current intention. Following a series of previous delays, this target may not be final either.