Highlights
- Studio Wildcard had to delay the console release of ARK: Survival Ascended due to critical issues found in the multiplayer version of the game.
- The delay will allow Studio Wildcard to address and fix these issues, ensuring a smoother console launch.
- The game developer will provide temporary bonus rates on official servers for console players to catch up to those who played on PC, but crossplay will be disabled until the console version enters the quicker certification process.
ARK: Survival Ascended developer Studio Wildcard has revealed it had to delay the game's console release due to some critical issues. The game developer recently released ARK: Survival Ascended in early access after showcasing its launch trailer, much to the surprise of gamers.
Fans of 2015's ARK: Survival Evolved have long awaited to try ARK: Survival Ascended for themselves, even though Studio Wildcard delayed its early access release from August 2023 to October 2023. The latter game is the remake of the former, with Studio Wildcard using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5 to give the game a fresh, new look. In addition, ARK: Survival Ascended offers the features and quality-of-life improvements Studio Wildcard developed for the original 2015 game. However, while the game developer had already released ARK: Survival Ascended in early access for the PC, it decided to delay its release on gaming consoles to November.
Recently, Studio Wildcard released an update explaining why it delayed ARK: Survival Ascended for the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The game developer revealed that its team identified some critical issues in the multiplayer version of the game that "would have had major implications" for ARK: Survival Ascended's console versions. While Studio Wildcard didn't disclose the effects of the critical issues it found, its concerns were significant enough to delay the game's release on the previously mentioned consoles to November. "We understand that this news is disappointing, and trust us, we’re disappointed too," Studio Wildcard said. "The team really did aim to get everything out for all platforms in October, but we fell short just at the finish line."
However, Studio Wildcard pointed out that there is a silver lining to the delay. The game developer explained that the additional time lets it ensures a smoother console launch, as it will have addressed many of ARK: Survival Ascended's problems through its PC release by then. It will also allow its console version to have a more content-rich and stable modding. Studio Wildcard also assured fans and gamers planning to play ARK: Survival Ascended on gaming consoles it will launch "a fresh set" of official servers with temporary bonus rates for them to catch up to those who played on PC. Nevertheless, the game developer will keep ARK: Survival Ascended's crossplay feature disabled until its console version enters the quicker certification process, though that could change based on how things are looking with its PC version.
The delay of ARK: Survival Ascended's console versions may have disappointed gamers - Studio Wildcard couldn't fix the issues in time for its release even after its small delay. Nevertheless, the game developer's approach and handling of the situation is encouraging.
ARK: Survival Ascended is now available in early access on PC via Steam and is coming to the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 in November.
Source: Studio Wildcard
