Out on XSX with cross-platform and PC mods.
November 21, 2023
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Studio Wildcard :
SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 21, 2023 - Studio Wildcard today launched ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA), a next-generation remake of the beloved ARK: Survival Evolved game, onto Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC platforms. Developed in partnership with Grove Street Games and Instinct Games, this inaugural battle between console and PC Survivors has begun with ASA’s new cross-platform multiplayer capabilities. Survivors can now form online tribes across different gaming platforms and work together to survive and thrive on the ARK.
Also for the first time ever, ARK mods crafted on PC will run on Xbox Series X|S, providing mod makers a new platform to feature their amazing creations and elevating the gaming experience for players across platforms. Everything from new weapons, armor, and creatures to fully-fledged game modes and high-quality maps are now easily available through a dedicated new Mod-browser found directly within the game.
Watch the ARK: Survival Ascended spotlight trailer featuring some of the cross-platform mods now available on Xbox Series X/S HERE: youtube.com/watch?v=F9HDgMT-Wcs
ARK: Survival Ascended harnesses the cutting-edge power of Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) for huge improvements and enhancements to the visuals and gameplay. ARK’s codebase has been fully rewritten, and its artwork recreated by hand to take full advantage of UE5.
ARK: Survival Ascended includes free access to all of ARK’s worlds, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, ARK Genesis Part 1, and ARK Genesis Part 2! With today’s launch on Xbox Series X|S, The Island is available with subsequent expansion worlds to be added on a regular basis. ASA will have its own content roadmap, including gameplay/QOL changes, new DLC, seasonal events, and more.
NEW FEATURES INCLUDE:
Unreal Engine 5 Delivers:
Nanite mesh rendering allows incredibly high-detail assets directly within the game, which gets scaled and streamed onto the graphics processor in real-time, tremendously increasing the visual fidelity of ASA. This delivers more environmental details, including realistic rocky textures, accurate tree patterning, and flourishing fauna.
With fully dynamic “Lumen”, light now bounces realistically off of hundreds of millions of triangles for extreme detail.
Chaos, a physics destruction system, simulates large-scale destruction in real-time. Blasting a base with a rocket launcher has never looked more realistic!
Building Revamp: ASA has revamped building systems so players can construct the bases of their dreams with over 15 new structures, from tilesets to decor to gameplay-enhancing TEK Teleporters, combined with QOL improvements like structure snappoint improvements, raising/lowering foundations, to provide players with a lot more choice and reliability when constructing their bases!
Ascended Physics System: Dynamic water so every creature creates waves, ripples, splashes, and bubbles as they move through fluids, and fully interactive physical foliage where every blade of grass, bush, and tree reacts to characters, explosions, projectiles, and physics objects. Knock down a tree and see it crash into other trees and disturb foliage on its way down to smacking into the grass below it! Demolish a building and watch the pieces break apart realistically, interacting with the grass and water as they fall.
Extensive QOL and Gameplay Improvements: Thorough Quality of Life revamps in every area: redesigned User Interfaces, dynamic navigation for intelligent creature pathfinding, new Camera and Map systems, Dino Tracking System, Wild babies, added Structures and Items, and much more.
Cross-Platform Modding: Download and play new custom content created by players, including new maps, creatures, items, and game modes, through a dedicated Mod-browser found directly within the game! Enjoy an endless stream of ARK content as the creativity and talent of the community are fully unleashed for the first time ever across gaming platforms! Through Overwolf’s CurseForge platform, mod authors are already building out exciting new content for ARK’s fanbase, including more dinosaurs, structures and weapons, while game developers such as Blue Isle Studios and Skymap Games are creating DLC-level Premium Mods.
Cross-Platform Multiplayer: Form online tribes across different gaming platforms and work together to survive and thrive on the ARK!
Multiplayer Options: Supports public online multiplayer for up to 70 players, private-session multiplayer for up to 8 players, and local split-screen for 2 or 4 players.
Photo Mode: Use the built-in capabilities to share epic screenshots and thumbnails with friends. With a deep dropdown menu of settings, you can get the perfect shots of your favorite dino, put on your director's hat, and start filming the ARK movies you envisioned!
The definitive survival experience returns better than ever! Create a Survivor, form a tribe, and then tame, train, breed & ride dinosaurs within a living ecosystem. Monitor your food, water, temperature, and weather patterns. Slowly expand outwards, then start to harvest, build structures, farm crops, customize each visual design, and proceed to explore to uncover the true nature of The Island and the worlds beyond.
ARK: Survival Ascended is now available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC for $44.99 and is also available on Steam. The PlayStation 5 version is scheduled to release in early December.
For the latest updates, join the ARK Survivor’s conversation on Discord, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit our website at playark.com and watch us tame ‘n train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.
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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 INSTINCT GAMES
Founded in 2011, Instinct Games is Egypt’s leading game development studio. Here at Instinct Games we aim to develop and produce high quality games on all major platforms utilizing our competent team.
Our dream is to build the video game development ecosystem in Egypt to set precedence by creating unique high quality games with worldwide appeal.
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