Ark: Survival Evolved’s remaster has been delayed with a discounted price tag

The release of Ark: Survival Ascended, a remaster of 2015's original open-world dinosaur survival game, has been pushed back from August 2023 to October of the same year due to development issues.

The details:

• The title's release has been delayed by two months across Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC, according to a new blog post from Studio Wildcard, after the studio "found it challenging working with Unreal Engine 5.2." The developer stated that it is still looking for "new ways each day to push the technology to the next level," which, combined with the creation of a cross-platform game that can be modded, has resulted in the need for more time to put things together for a final release.
• Along with the postponement of the full game, the remastered version of its paid DLC map, Scorched Earth, will be released at a later date, with a release date of December 2023 currently set. Ragnarok and Aberration will be released in Q1 2024, with the remaining Survival Evolved maps to follow later.
• Survival Ascended is intended to be a full replacement for Survival Evolved, with the latter scheduled to shut down before the remaster's release. Due to the delay, players will now have more time to enjoy the original title, with the new shutdown date set for September, but it's important to note that progress will not be shared between the games, so everything will be lost once the servers go offline.
• For unknown reasons, Studio Wildcard has also reduced the game's price from $60 to $40; however, it will return to $45 following its release. Survival Ascended was originally planned to be released in a bundle with the delayed Ark 2 for $50, but due to fan outrage, both projects were split with the odd decision to originally charge $60 for the standalone version.

More gaming news:

• Following reports of Microsoft's interest in the company, Sega has confirmed that it is not currently open to acquisition. Chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi stated that the company still has a close relationship with the tech giant but declined to comment on whether or not a formal offer had been made.
• According to court documents revealing Microsoft's acquisition strategy, DayZ 2 is in development. Little is known about the project, but according to the documents, Bohemia Interactive's recent projects have underperformed commercially, potentially prompting development on the sequel to its hit title to become a priority.