A new Ark: Survival Evolved expansion trailer from publisher Snail Games has been met with overwhelming criticism from the Ark community due to its apparent overuse of generative AI imagery.
The trailer's release followed Snail Games' GDC announcement of their "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, with 95% of gameplay occurring beneath the surface.
The response has been overwhelmingly negative. Popular Ark YouTuber Syntac, with over 1.9 million subscribers, summed up the general sentiment in a top comment on the trailer: "This is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourselves." Other viewers echoed this sentiment, describing the trailer as "pathetic" and "embarrassing." The trailer is filled with obvious AI artifacts, including fish that appear and disappear erratically, a grotesquely deformed hand holding a spear gun, a levitating octopus in front of an inconsistently rendered shipwreck, human feet morphing into flippers, and more.
Original Ark: Survival Evolved developer Studio Wildcard swiftly distanced themselves from the project, clarifying on social media that Ark: Aquatica is not being developed by their team. They reaffirmed their commitment to Ark: Survival Ascended, Ark 2, and the upcoming Ark: Lost Colony, slated for release later this year.
Following delays from its initially planned late 2024 release, the future of Ark 2 had been uncertain. However, Studio Wildcard confirmed this week that development continues, and they also revealed Ark: Lost Colony, a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that will serve as a prelude to the sequel.
Michelle Yeoh, star of Ark: The Animated Series, reprises her role in the trailer.
