A new Ark: Survival Evolved expansion trailer from writer Snail Video games has been resoundingly condemned by the Ark group for being full of proof of appalling generative AI imagery.
The trailer was launched within the wake of Snail Games’ GDC announcement of its “in-house developed new expansion map, Ark: Aquatica”. The studio describes the enlargement as a non-canonical facet story to Ark in “an formidable underwater setting that includes 95% of gameplay going down beneath the floor.”
“That is disgusting and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves,” wrote Irish YouTuber Syntac in response to the trailer. This assertion from the favored Ark-oriented video creator, who has over 1.9 million subscribers, is at the moment the highest touch upon the Ark: Aquatica trailer.
Feedback from different viewers are unanimously and equally destructive, decrying the trailer as “pathetic” and “embarrassing.” The trailer is rife with traces of AI slop, together with education fish blurring out and in of existence, a hideously deformed hand clutching a spear gun, a levitating octopus floating in entrance of a shipwreck that doesn’t know whether or not it’s a rock or not, human ft that morph into floppy flippers, and extra.
For its half, unique Ark: Survival Evolved developer Studio Wildcard has instantly distanced itself from the dialogue, clarifying on social media that Ark: Aquatica is just not being being developed by its workforce, and that “Studio Wildcard stays fully devoted to the manufacturing of Ark: Survival Ascended & Ark 2, and we’re excited to deliver Ark: Misplaced Colony to you later this 12 months!”
Since lacking its beforehand deliberate late 2024 launch window the way forward for Ark 2 has been unclear amongst followers, however Studio Wildcard confirmed this week that growth on the dinosaur survival sequel is constant. It additionally revealed Ark: Misplaced Colony, a brand new enlargement for Ark: Survival Ascended that can lead into the sequel.
Ark: The Animated Sequence star Michelle Yeoh reprises her function within the trailer.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN critiques workforce. You’ll be able to observe him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him issues about stuff.