Bloody Hell, Ark 2's Been Carbon-Dated for 2028 – Plus, That Wild AI Trailer Fiasco!
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Ark 2, the Vin Diesel-starring dino-epic, has been delayed yet again to a distant 2028, making it feel more like a myth than a game, while on a separate note, an Ark: Survival Evolved expansion was promoted with a hilariously glitchy, AI-generated trailer that left everyone scratching their heads.
Right, mate, gather 'round, because I've been untangling some digital tea leaves this morning, and what I've found about the Ark universe is... well, it's a bit like casting a teleport spell and ending up five years into the future, only to realise you're still stuck in the loading screen. We're talking about Ark 2, the Vin Diesel-starring dinosaur epic that feels less like a game on the horizon and more like a mythical beast itself at this point.
Cast your mind back to 2020. Ah, simpler times, eh? Studio Wildcard drops a trailer for Ark 2 – a proper cinematic spectacle, mind you, with none other than Dominic Toretto himself, Vin Diesel, grunting his way through a primal world. Hype levels? Through the bloody roof! We were promised a 2023 release. Then, oh, a slight hiccup, 'end of 2024,' they said. We held our breath. Then, radio silence. And now? Brace yourselves, folks, because according to the latest whispers from the void, Ark 2 is now slated for a casual stroll into your gaming library in... wait for it... **2028**.
Yeah, you heard that right. 2028. That's, what, eight years after its initial announcement? Fair dinkum, that's less of a delay and more of a carbon-dating project! It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What wizardry – or perhaps, what deeply complex spell gone wrong – is happening behind the scenes at Studio Wildcard? Is it just the sheer scale of the vision? The complexities of next-gen tech? Or perhaps, as my inner mischievous imp suggests, Vin Diesel is meticulously crafting every pixel by hand, fuelled by his reported 1,000+ hours in the original game? (And yes, his real name is Mark Sinclair. Blew my mind, that did!)
The official blurb still promises 'Survive the past. Tame the future' and a 'definitive next-gen survival experience.' Which sounds brilliant, honestly. But after this many delays, you've got to ask: how much of that initial excitement can a community sustain? Will 'next-gen' in 2028 even be 'next-gen' anymore, or just... 'gen'? It's a classic tale of ambition meeting reality, a story as old as time itself, or at least as old as Half-Life 3 rumors.
This whole temporal displacement of Ark 2, among other bits of news, was brought to my attention thanks to the keen reporting of Victoria Phillips Kennedy over at Eurogamer. Seriously, go check out their original piece for the raw details – they're doing the good work, mate: [
Now, if that wasn't enough to make you scratch your head and wonder what arcane forces are at play in the Ark universe, let's pivot to another corner that recently provided us with a rather... *unique* spectacle. Remember Ark: Survival Evolved? Still going strong, it is. Well, its publisher, Snail Games, decided to promote the Aquatica expansion with a trailer that was, shall we say, a digital wizard's apprentice project gone gloriously, hilariously wrong. This wasn't just a dodgy render, mate; this was a full-blown existential crisis for polygons.
The trailer, which has now mysteriously vanished from the internet faster than my spell components after a particularly potent mishap, featured such gems as a person with *three hands* holding a spear gun. Three! Handy for multitasking, I suppose, but a bit much for a normal human. We also saw fish phase in and out of existence like apparitions, an octopus doing its best impression of a six-tentacled alien, and, my personal favourite, a human character sporting flippers where their feet should have been. Like something out of a fever dream after too much late-night gaming. It was a proper 'what in the name of the nine realms is going on here?' moment.
Naturally, the community (bless their observant little hearts) clocked onto this immediately. The collective 'What the actual f***?' was practically audible across the internet. And what was Snail Games' response? A swift distancing, blaming their 'marketing team.' Ah, the classic scapegoat manoeuvre! It makes you wonder, doesn't it? Did the marketing team just hit 'generate' on a dodgy AI program and then 'publish' without a single human eye glancing over it? Or were they just following orders in a mad dash for content? It’s a stark reminder that while generative AI is a powerful tool, it's still very much a chaotic apprentice, and you *really* need a supervising wizard (or, you know, a human editor) before letting it loose on the world. Otherwise, you end up with flipper-feet and a PR nightmare.
So, there you have it, a tale of two Arks: one lost in the temporal aether, the other battling its own digital demons. The Ark 2 delay, while frustrating, highlights the immense challenges of modern game development – the constant push and pull between creative vision and the practicalities of making it real. Here's hoping that extra time truly does bake in a legendary experience, rather than just more delays. (Fingers crossed, eh?)
And the AI trailer? That's a different beast entirely. It's a cautionary tale, mate. A reminder that in our rush to embrace new technologies, we can't lose sight of quality, authenticity, and frankly, basic visual common sense. Gamers are a savvy bunch; we can spot a three-handed angler or a flipper-footed human a mile off. We appreciate innovation, absolutely, but not at the expense of genuine effort and respect for the craft.
Ultimately, whether it's waiting for a game that feels like it's perpetually on the horizon, or cringing at a promotional video that screams 'rushed AI job,' it’s a wild ride out there in the gaming world. But hey, that's what keeps it interesting, right? Always something new, always something bizarre, and always something to dig into, like a wizard trying to decipher an ancient, glitchy scroll. Stay curious, folks, and keep those eyes peeled for phasing fish!
Tags: Ark 2, Game Delays, AI in Gaming, Studio Wildcard, Survival Games
Original article: Eurogamer