The highly anticipated dinosaur survival game, Ark 2, has sparked renewed excitement among fans after developer Studio Wildcard announced a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended. This expansion, titled Ark: Lost Colony, marks the first original expansion pack for the Ark 1 remake and promises to bridge the narrative to the much-awaited sequel.
The reveal trailer for Ark: Lost Colony, produced by the renowned anime studio Mappa (known for hits like Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and Chainsaw Man), showcases cinematic anime sequences and features the voice of Michelle Yeoh, reprising her role as Mei Yin from Ark: The Animated Series. Studio Wildcard has confirmed that the expansion will include numerous high-quality anime story sequences crafted by Mappa.
Here's the official description from Studio Wildcard:
In this new frozen world, players follow in the footsteps of legendary Ark survivor Mei Yin, on a soul-searching quest deep into the chilling heart of darkness to find answers to long-buried secrets of Ark's past.
Ark: Lost Colony will present survivors with thrilling new challenges as they become the hunted in a vast occupied city, and gain access to powerful new kinds of character abilities, unique gear, building systems, and phenomenally exotic tames.
Will Survivors be able to face down the demons lurking in Arat Prime, and connect Ark's past and future?
Studio Wildcard emphasized that Ark: Lost Colony directly ties together the storylines from Ark's Extinction and Genesis expansions, setting the stage for the events of Ark 2.
Ark 2, powered by Unreal Engine 5, is the sequel to the massively successful Ark: Survival Evolved. Initially unveiled with a surprise appearance by Vin Diesel at The Game Awards 2020, it was originally slated for a 2022 release but faced delays, first to 2023 and then to late 2024. Despite assurances in December 2023 that the game was on track, the late 2024 release did not materialize, causing fan concern. The announcement of Ark: Lost Colony in early 2025 reassures fans that Ark 2 remains in development, though no new release window was provided.
For Ark: Lost Colony, more concrete details are available. Pre-orders will begin in June 2025, granting immediate access to exclusive preview gameplay content. The full release is scheduled for November 2025, with the expansion priced at $29.99 for Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
