ARK: Aquatica — the new expansion for ARK: Survival Evolved — finally has a release date, and it's soon: July 15, to be precise.
Snail Games announced its "in-house developed new expansion map, Ark: Aquatica" at GDC in March. The studio described the expansion as a non-canonical side story to Ark in “an ambitious underwater setting featuring 95% of gameplay taking place beneath the surface." However, the Ark: Survival Evolved expansion trailer released alongside the announcement was resoundingly condemned after fans discovered evidence of generative AI imagery.
OG developer Studio Wildcard immediately distanced itself from the discussion, clarifying on social media that Ark: Aquatica was not being developed by its team. It also revealed Ark: Lost Colony, a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that will lead into the sequel, although since missing its previously planned late 2024 release window, the future of Ark 2 remains unclear.
ARK: Aquatica introduces the first submerged ARK with above-water islands, "challenging players with new survival mechanics, extreme environmental hazards, a huge explorable map area, and unique gameplay elements".
The underwater biome adds 21 new tameable creatures, 74 new Engrams — including seven tek Engrams — and underwater survival thanks to features like air pockets and propulsion vehicles.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the latest teaser has been under intense fan scrunity, with some going as far as to implore others to report it to Steam if they suspect anything is generated by AI. Some are also questioning the purpose of the trailer posted to Snail Games' YouTube, with one asking of the 11-second teaser: "Okay, so what the f**k does this tell me about the expansion?"
"I am 200% sure that this update was created to kill all existing mods and plugins," added another YouTube commenter.
ARK: Aquatic is in development by Studio Sirens to "commemorate the 10-year anniversary of ARK: Survival Evolved" and will be available exclusively on PC. A price has yet to be confirmed.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
