"Ark Fans Criticize Expansion Trailer's AI-Generated Content"

A new trailer for the "Ark: Survival Evolved" expansion, "Ark: Aquatica," from publisher Snail Games has sparked widespread outrage within the Ark community due to its heavy reliance on substandard generative AI imagery.

The trailer, released following Snail Games' announcement at GDC about their "in-house developed new expansion map, Ark: Aquatica," portrays the expansion as a non-canonical side story set in an ambitious underwater environment, where 95% of the gameplay occurs beneath the surface.

"This is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourselves," stated Irish YouTuber Syntac, a prominent figure in the Ark community with over 1.9 million subscribers. His comment on the trailer has garnered the most attention, reflecting the general sentiment of the community. Other viewers echoed this sentiment, describing the trailer as "pathetic" and "embarrassing." The trailer is criticized for its evident use of AI-generated visuals, characterized by glitches such as fish that appear and disappear, a grotesquely deformed hand gripping a spear gun, a levitating octopus in front of an indecisive shipwreck, and human feet morphing into flippers.

Witness the surreal transformation of a man's foot into a fin.

In response, original "Ark: Survival Evolved" developer Studio Wildcard quickly distanced itself from the controversy, clarifying on social media that "Ark: Aquatica" is not being developed by their team. They emphasized their ongoing commitment to "Ark: Survival Ascended" and "Ark 2," and announced excitement for the upcoming release of "Ark: Lost Colony," a new expansion for "Ark: Survival Ascended" that will set the stage for the sequel.

The future of "Ark 2" remains a topic of interest, especially after missing its previously planned late 2024 release window. However, Studio Wildcard confirmed this week that development is still actively progressing.

Adding to the trailer's allure, "Ark: The Animated Series" star Michelle Yeoh reprises her role, bringing additional attention to the expansion.