The gaming community has erupted in outrage over a new trailer for the Ark: Survival Evolved expansion from publisher Snail Games, which has been widely criticized for its use of substandard generative AI imagery. The trailer, released following Snail Games’ GDC announcement of the new expansion map, "Ark: Aquatica," showcases an ambitious underwater setting where 95% of the gameplay occurs beneath the surface. However, the community's reaction has been overwhelmingly negative.
Irish YouTuber Syntac, a prominent figure in the Ark community with over 1.9 million subscribers, expressed his dismay, stating, "This is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourselves." His comment, reflecting the sentiment of many fans, is currently the most upvoted on the Ark: Aquatica trailer. Other viewers have echoed this sentiment, labeling the trailer as "pathetic" and "embarrassing." The trailer is filled with glaring AI-generated errors, such as fish that blur in and out of existence, a grotesquely deformed hand holding a spear gun, a levitating octopus in front of an ambiguous shipwreck, and human feet morphing into flippers.
In response to the backlash, the original developer of Ark: Survival Evolved, Studio Wildcard, has quickly distanced itself from the project. The studio clarified on social media that Ark: Aquatica is not being developed by their team and reaffirmed their commitment to "Ark: Survival Ascended & Ark 2," along with the upcoming expansion "Ark: Lost Colony," set to release later this year.
Amidst uncertainties surrounding the previously planned late 2024 release window for Ark 2, Studio Wildcard confirmed this week that development on the sequel is ongoing. They also announced "Ark: Lost Colony," a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that will serve as a precursor to the sequel.
Adding to the trailer's controversy, Ark: The Animated Series star Michelle Yeoh reprises her role, further highlighting the disconnect between the high-quality expectations of the Ark community and the disappointing execution of the trailer.
