Ark 2: Vin Diesel, Trailer & Everything We Know

Looking for news on an Ark 2? The open-world survival game zeitgeist of the 2010s saw many different attempts at tackling the genre, with DayZ, Rust, Subnautica, and Ark: Survival Evolved rising above the rest. The latter title saw players thrown into a remote island full of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals, as they vied for power and control over the island and its inhabitants. At The Game Awards in 2020, Ark 2 was announced, along with involvement from professional actor and nerd Vin Diesel, plus an animated series that's confirmed to feature a star-studded cast. Ark 2 is set to release as a next-generation title, meaning it will take advantage of all the advanced technology that goes along with that. For those of you excited to get back into the world of Ark, or just want to find out what Vin Diesel's role is, we have all the information on Ark 2 gameplay, trailers, and more right here.

Is There An Ark 2 Release Date?

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There's no specific Ark 2 release date yet, but the game does have a release window of 2023, which means it could be a matter of months or a whole year away yet. There was also no word on whether the sequel will begin in early access, even though the first game stayed like that for two years before its full release.

However, as revealed during the Xbox and Bethesda Summer 2022 Showcase, Ark 2 will arrive on Xbox Game Pass on day one. Even if the game does release in early access, at least it will be easily accessible.

Ark 2 Trailers

The one trailer we've seen so far debuted at The Game Awards in 2020, and with the next show less than a month away, it's possible we'll get more Ark news soon. It's all rendered using the actual in-game engine, and even features some real assets, though many people mistook it as a CGI trailer. Vin Diesel also makes an appearance, as this is where his involvement with the franchise was announced. 

Watching the trailer, we see a series of tribals making their way through a dense jungle environment, where Diesel acts as the sort of leader, watching over his presumed daughter. They carry on for a while, until some humanoid-looking monsters with ashen skin and orc-like teeth ambush them (let's call them Neanderthals). During this, as Diesel is fighting some of them, suddenly a dinosaur comes stomping through the trees before killing a few of the tribals and Neanderthals. 

After making a run for it, they find themselves in a cave that's blocked off after the dinosaur runs into the entrance, causing rocks to fall. In the cave, the tribals find some technology that seems to be linked to the island's inhabitants, as it reveals Diesel's name to be Santiago Da Costa. They make their way out of the cave, before the trailer ends on a shot of them looking into the distance. 

The trailer doesn't give away too much in terms of what to expect from the sequel, but it teases fans with more of what they loved from the first, but with hints at a wider narrative. 

Ark 2 Gameplay And Story

Studio Wildcard has confirmed that Ark 2 won't differ much from the previous entry, still very much giving players an island sandbox to explore and survive in, full of ancient fauna to both fight and tame along the way. Ark doesn't just feature dinosaurs either, as the past entry did begin to add original dinos, and even mythical creatures and robots with subsequent updates. 

If the idea of Ark 2 is bigger and better, then Wildcard could be looking to expand on many of the systems from the original. These primarily were crafting, gathering, taming, fighting, and exploration. The game also featured a story in the background that could be discovered through lore. There's no word on whether or not the next game will take the same approach, but the addition of Vin Diesel to the experience makes us think that it will be more story-focused than the original. 

The game can also be played in single-player or multiplayer, so players can experience the title in their preferred way. Starting fresh on a new game, with newer technology, should also do wonders, as the original has started to suffer technically from all the updates and additions over the years.

Ark 2 Vin Diesel

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It was a surprise for some to see the movie-star in the trailer for Ark 2, but Diesel has been around the world of video games for a long-while now. He first made appearances as the titular character in the Chronicles of Riddick games, and even owns a development studio called Tigon Studios. 

Apparently he was a huge fan of the first game, having put over 1000 hours into it, and so made an effort to be involved with the sequel. Aside from appearing in the game, he also serves as an Executive Producer and is directly involved in the development process, offering direct feedback.

His official title at Studio Wildcard is 'President of Creative Convergence,' while he pulls double duty on both the game and animated series, acting as Executive Producer for both.  

Ark 2 Platforms

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The title was announced as an Xbox Series X|S console launch exclusive at The Game Awards, meaning it'll be unlikely to hit the PlayStation 5 until a while after. This is unlikely to affect the PC release date, which is expected to coincide with the Xbox release.