The gaming community of Ark: Survival Evolved has erupted in outrage following the release of a trailer for a new expansion titled Ark: Aquatica by publisher Snail Games. The trailer, which surfaced after Snail Games announced the "in-house developed new expansion map" at GDC, has been criticized heavily for its use of what appears to be low-quality generative AI imagery. Snail Games positions Ark: Aquatica as a non-canonical side story, set in an expansive underwater environment where 95% of the gameplay occurs beneath the waves.
The backlash was swift and severe, with prominent Irish YouTuber Syntac, known for his Ark-related content and boasting over 1.9 million subscribers, labeling the trailer as "disgusting" and expressing his shame towards Snail Games. Syntac's comment is the most upvoted response on the Ark: Aquatica trailer. Echoing his sentiments, other viewers have also slammed the trailer, calling it "pathetic" and "embarrassing." The trailer is criticized for numerous visual anomalies attributed to AI-generated content, such as fish that inexplicably blur in and out of view, a grotesquely misshapen hand holding a spear gun, an octopus seemingly levitating near an ambiguous shipwreck, and human feet that bizarrely morph into flippers.
In response to the controversy, the original developers of Ark: Survival Evolved, Studio Wildcard, have promptly distanced themselves from Ark: Aquatica. Through a social media statement, they clarified that the expansion is not a product of their team and reaffirmed their commitment to the development of Ark: Survival Ascended and Ark 2, along with the upcoming expansion Ark: Lost Colony set to release later this year.
Amidst uncertainty following the missed late 2024 release window for Ark 2, Studio Wildcard confirmed ongoing development of the sequel this week and unveiled Ark: Lost Colony, an expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that will serve as a precursor to the sequel.
Adding to the trailer's cast, Ark: The Animated Series star Michelle Yeoh reprises her role in the Ark: Aquatica trailer.
