Ark's Multiverse Muddle: Vin Diesel's Ghost, Anime Stars, and One Very Pricey Dino Preview
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Studio Wildcard is launching *Ark: Lost Colony* for *Ark: Survival Ascended* this December, an expansion that weaves together Ark's lore, features big-name voice actors like Michelle Yeoh and David Tennant, and sets up the long-delayed *Ark 2* – which, along with the animated series, seems perpetually stuck in a temporal loop of postponements.
Right, so remember that absolutely bonkers CGI trailer for Ark 2, the one with Vin Diesel doing his best primal grunt impression? The one that felt like a fever dream after a particularly potent night of gaming and questionable snacks? Well, apparently, it's still happening. Honest. Eventually.
Developer Studio Wildcard, bless their optimistically chaotic hearts, is out here telling us that Ark 2, the dino-survival sequel we've been waiting for since... well, since what feels like another geological epoch (it was announced in 2020, if you can believe it), is still very much on the cards. And they're paving the way for its grand, mysterious arrival with a brand-new expansion for *Ark: Survival Ascended*, called *Ark: Lost Colony*. It’s slated to drop on the 16th of December. Colour me intrigued, but also mildly wary, like when a wizard promises 'totally safe' new reagents.
Now, on the surface, *Lost Colony* sounds like a narrative masterclass in timeline weaving. Officially, it's designed to bridge the gap between Ark's 2018 *Extinction* expansion and its 2019 follow-up, *Genesis*, while simultaneously laying the narrative groundwork for *Ark 2*. That's a lot of threads to pull without tying yourself in a Gordian knot, isn't it? It’s like trying to connect three separate dimensions with a single portal – ambitious, to say the least.
But wait, there's more! Because why simply connect the games when you can also lasso in the animated TV series? That's right, *Lost Colony* is also tying into Ark's animated show (which, fun fact, is still only half-aired – more on that delightful predictability later). And here’s where things get genuinely exciting, and maybe a little surreal: we're talking about a star-studded cast making the jump from screen to game. Imagine hearing the dulcet tones of Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, the utterly fantastic David Tennant (yes, *that* David Tennant), and *Battlestar Galactica*'s very own Katie Sackhoff. They'll all be appearing in "cinematic anime sequences" crafted by the legendary Japanese studio MAPPA. MAPPA, mate! The folks behind *Attack on Titan* and *Jujutsu Kaisen*! That, fair dinkum, is a crossover I didn't see coming and am genuinely hyped for. It’s like finding a rare magical artifact in a dusty old chest – completely unexpected and potentially brilliant.
This *Lost Colony* expansion is being touted as *Survival Ascended*'s "first canonical expansion," which sounds properly important. Players will be plunged into the "snowy wastes of Arat Prime" – apparently, the birthplace of the ARKs themselves. You'll be following in the footsteps of a character called Mei Yin on an "intense journey into the heart of darkness." Sounds suitably epic, doesn't it? Like a grand quest to discover the very origins of your magical abilities. We're talking "lost" character ability trees to unlock, "cursed" gear tiers to discover (which has my curious little wizard brain tingling – what kind of curses are we talking, exactly?), and brand-new building systems to master. Oh, and, of course, new creatures to tame. Because what's Ark without more magnificent, terrifying beasts? Among them is the Ossidon, described as a "hulking, engineered apex winter-predator." Sounds like something you'd accidentally summon when trying to conjure a hot cup of tea.
Now, here's where my gently skeptical eyebrow begins its ascent. If you're eager to get a peek at this Ossidon before *Lost Colony* officially drops in December, you *can*. But only if you first cough up £29.99/$29.99 USD for *Ark: Survival Ascended*'s *Lost Colony Expansion Pass*. That's right, mate. You can experience the Ossidon as "preview gameplay content" right now, temporarily roaming existing cold biomes like Ragnarok, Valguero, and The Center. It’s like being offered a 'sneak preview' of a new spell, but only if you buy the advanced grimoire first. A bit cheeky, wouldn't you say? It certainly feels like a monetization scheme cleverly disguised as an exclusive early-bird bonus. For a game that’s already had its fair share of discussions around its pricing and upgrade path (remember the *Ascended* upgrade furore?), this move isn't exactly building confidence, is it? It makes you wonder about the balance between offering new content and, well, milking the digital cow.
And let's talk about the big elephant (or rather, the endlessly delayed dino) in the room: timelines. *Lost Colony* itself is arriving some six months after its originally announced June launch window. A minor hiccup, perhaps, but certainly a familiar one for anyone who's ever followed a Studio Wildcard release. At this point, 'delayed' is practically their middle name. The real head-scratcher, though, remains *Ark 2*. That Vin Diesel vehicle was first announced back in 2020. Yet, it didn't even feature in the Ark content roadmap released earlier this year. The whispers among the digital tea leaves suggest we might not see it until sometime *after* December 2026. After 2026! That's almost half a decade from its announcement. And it's not just the games; even the second half of the *Ark* animated television show – originally promised for 2024 – couldn't escape the curse of the delay-hammer and is now due sometime next year. It's like they’re trying to cast a time-bending spell, but it keeps backfiring and just makes everything happen later.
So, what's a curious gamer to make of all this? We've got a compelling, narrative-rich expansion coming, packed with star power and intriguing new gameplay mechanics, tying the whole Ark saga together. But it's also shadowed by familiar delays and a slightly eyebrow-raising approach to early content access. It’s a classic Studio Wildcard conundrum: a brilliant, chaotic vision perpetually battling against its own ambitious timelines. Let's just hope that when *Lost Colony* does drop, it casts the right kind of spell, rather than leaving us waiting indefinitely for the incantation to finish.
--- *This article was repurposed from original reporting by Matt Wales at Eurogamer, published on November 19, 2025.*
Tags: ArkSurvivalAscended, Ark2, StudioWildcard, GamingNews, Expansion
Original article: Eurogamer