ARK 2 Launches in 2028, But Its “Ambitious Narrative” Depends on Vin Diesel’s Involvement

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Even though Studio Wildcard is still updating ARK: Survival Ascended, fans are curious about its sequel, ARK 2. Development on ARK 2 was temporarily stopped to prioritize Ascended, but it’s now moving forward again. Studio co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz says we can expect it to be released around 2028.

During a presentation at Snail Games’ Investor Day in Times Square (as reported by the Epic Games Store), studio head Stieglitz stated their current plan is to launch ARK 2 in 2028. He explained that developing ARK 2 is happening in stages, allowing them to learn and improve both the technology and gameplay. They believe this phased approach is a safer way to deliver the game they envision, rather than attempting to release a complete product immediately.

So, the studio’s planning a big expansion for ARK: Survival Ascended called Legacy of Santiago, coming out in late 2027. Basically, they’re using it as a way to try out a bunch of the new ideas and features they were originally developing for ARK 2. It’s like a testing ground before fully launching into the sequel – which is pretty cool, honestly.

With Legacy of Santiago, we can test out many of the gameplay features we’re planning for ARK 2 with a lower risk. If things don’t quite work as intended, we can improve and refine them in a live game environment and get direct feedback from players. This is much better than launching something completely new and hoping it’s right, as it allows us to respond quickly and easily to what players want.

This approach also helps prepare players for the next game while wrapping up the current one. The team realized they shouldn’t completely stop supporting a game until players are ready for them to. They admitted they abruptly ended updates for ARK: Survival Evolved, which upset players who still wanted new content.

When asked if Legacy of Santiago might overshadow ARK 2 by using similar gameplay features, Stieglitz admitted he didn’t have a clear answer yet.

As a fan, here’s how I see it: it all hinges on the content itself. Legacy of Santiago is where we’re going to see a lot of the new combat stuff we’re planning for ARK 2 – things like that Souls-like, third-person fighting and really getting into melee combat. But Legacy of Santiago won’t have the huge, detailed story and world-building we’re aiming for with ARK 2. Basically, if the combat feels good in Legacy of Santiago, then ARK 2‘s big draw could be that massive, standalone campaign narrative.

The story in this expansion isn’t as large in scale, but a lot of it will depend on Vin Diesel, who appeared in the first trailer for the sequel.

We’ve planned a much bigger and more detailed story for ARK 2. However, to be honest, how much of that story we can actually include will depend on how much Vin Diesel participates, and that’s still uncertain.

Stieglitz questioned how much of a contribution we can expect from this person. He explained that it’s unclear how often or for how long they’ll be able to perform, and the extent of their involvement will shape how things unfold. We’ve planned different approaches depending on whether they deliver a significant contribution or a limited one.

ARK 2 will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC from day one with a Game Pass subscription. It’s expected to be a Game Pass exclusive for the first three years after release.

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2025-12-19 20:41