Publisher Snail Games has released a new trailer for the Ark: Survival Evolved expansion, and the Ark community is overwhelmingly condemning it for being packed with obvious signs of poorly generated AI imagery.
This trailer arrived shortly after Snail Games’ GDC announcement of its “in-house developed new expansion map, Ark: Aquatica.” The studio describes the expansion as a non-canonical side story set in “an ambitious underwater environment where about 95% of the gameplay occurs beneath the surface.”
“This is disgusting, and you should be ashamed of yourselves,” Irish YouTuber Syntac wrote in response to the trailer. This statement from the popular Ark-focused content creator, who has over 1.9 million subscribers, is currently the most liked comment on the Ark: Aquatica trailer.
Feedback from other viewers is consistently negative as well, with many calling the trailer “pathetic” and “embarrassing.” The footage is riddled with clear AI artifacts, such as schools of fish fading in and out of existence, a grotesquely distorted hand gripping a spear gun, an octopus hovering unnaturally in front of a shipwreck that looks more like a rock, human feet that blur into floppy flippers, and more.
In response, Studio Wildcard, the original developer of Ark: Survival Evolved, has quickly distanced itself from the controversy, clearly stating on social media that Ark: Aquatica is not being developed by its team, and that “Studio Wildcard remains fully focused on developing Ark: Survival Ascended and Ark 2, and we’re excited to release Ark: Lost Colony later this year!”
After missing its original late 2024 release target, fans have been uncertain about the future of Ark 2, but Studio Wildcard confirmed this week that development on the dinosaur survival sequel is still underway. It also announced Ark: Lost Colony, a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that will set the stage for the sequel.
Michelle Yeoh, star of Ark: The Animated Series, also returns to voice her character in the trailer.
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