Ark 2 Ark Survival Evolved

Ark: Survival Ascended gets surprise delay - but only on Xbox

Ark: Survival Ascended gets surprise delay - but only on Xbox
Images via Studio Wildcard

Written by 

Lloyd Coombes

Published 

17th Nov 2023 10:30

Ark: Survival Ascended has been available in early access on PC for a few weeks, but console players have been itching to jump into the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the dino-taming survival game - and they may have to wait a little longer, despite hoping to play it this week.

Despite originally being slated for August 2023, and then expected this week, Studio Wildcard announced it would share more information "later this week." We now have an update, but it's sadly another delay, at least for Xbox players.

Ark: Survival Ascended delayed again

In a new post on X/Twitter, the studio explained that the certification process yielded "some unexpected issues," and that the team is currently working with Microsoft to resolve them, intending to launch the game early next week.

As for PlayStation owners, Studio Wildcard says it is still on track to deliver Ark: Survival Ascended "at the end of this month." The team continued, "We'll update you as we make more meaningful progress and have a precise launch window to share."

"We are sorry to keep our console survivors waiting," the studio added. While it's a blow to fans, at least Studio Wildcard is keeping us in the loop and still looking optimistic about an imminent release.

Ark: Survival Ascended delay is a blow to fans

Ark Survival Ascended key art showing players exploring caves
Click to enlarge

It'll understandably disappoint console Ark fans, but here's hoping the issues can be resolved. Ark: Survival Evolved was one of the first big games to come to Xbox One in Early Access, and arguably helped open the floodgates for Early Access titles on console.

While Ark: Survival Ascended is a remake of the original, a sequel, Ark 2, is also in development, and it stars Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel. Sadly, its release has also been pushed back multiple times, so we're still without a firm date.

Ark: Survival Ascended came under fire earlier this year for a surprising price hike from $49.99 to $59.99, prompting the devs to publish a blog post saying "we weren’t trying to mislead you with earlier comments; our plans and overall intentions changed."

Lloyd Coombes
About the author
Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd is GGRecon's Editor-in-Chief, having previously worked at Dexerto and Gfinity, and occasionally appears in The Daily Star newspaper. A big fan of loot-based games including Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, when he's not working you'll find him at the gym or trying to play Magic The Gathering.
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