ARK: Survival Evolved is free to permanently own on Steam this week, celebrating the new 2023 ARK 2 release window announced during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. Studio Wildcard didn’t reveal much else aside from a CG trailer but don’t worry, it’s still got Vin Diesel.
ARK 2 picks up after the first game’s DLC conclusion in Genesis, bringing Vin Diesel to the prehistoric-future dinosaur planet in the sequel. The survival sim was first announced at The Game Awards back in 2020, but Studio Wildcard has largely withheld anymore ARK 2 news until today’s showcase.
The new footage confirms a bit of what we already know: ARK 2 brings back Dodos, Allosaurus, and the usual hostile suspects. Vin Diesel Jr. accompanies the game’s famous face again with a bunch of exposition about the old planet, but there’s not much else worth mentioning with no gameplay reveals.
Perhaps a little more noteworthy in the immediate, the first ARK is free to permanently own as long as you claim it before June 19, 10 am PDT. That Steam deal includes a long list of expansion freebies like Extinction, Aberration, Fjordur, and others. The only thing not up for a 100 percent discount is its Genesis Season Pass. That’s the bit that fleshes out our lead into ARK 2, but survival diehards can get hundreds of hours out of the base game alone.
After the ARK 2 news, the only thing we’re lacking now is info on the ARK animated series, which was announced with the sequel in 2020. Anime Vin Diesel is also accompanied by an all-star cast in ARK: The Animated Series, including actors like Michelle Yeoh, Elliot Page, Russell Crowe, and David Tennant.
Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase is part of Fanbyte’s Hot Game Summer coverage, where we’re bringing you recaps and commentary on this summer’s game presentations like Xbox’s showcase, the PC Gaming Show, and the all-encompassing Summer Game Fest hosted by Geoff Keighley. If you’re interested in seeing all Fanbyte’s coverage, check out our Hot Game Summer 2022 hub.
