Ark: Survival Evolved's full release delayed
Tyrannosarus-vexed.
The release date for Ark: Survival Evolved has been pushed back by three weeks.
Initially set for full release on 8th August, the Early Access dinosaur survival game will now come out 29th August.
Writing on Ark's community forum, developer Studio Wildcard explained the game has completed its gold master and certification for retail release. However, the process took longer than expected resulting in a delayed full release.
"We're deeply apologetic for those who were negatively affected by the delay; it sucks, it wasn't what we had wanted, nor planned but where we currently stand," Studio Wildcard wrote. "We wanted to address this sooner but did not want to make any statements until we were completely sure of what was going to happen."
As a result of this, the Ragnarok DLC has also been delayed and will release alongside the full game on 29th August.
However, developer Studio Wildcard assured fans the wait will be worth it and has promised immediate patches to the PC version of the game in order to take care of community concerns.
"This extended time will allow further development of the map and you guys can expect a gigantic update, even bigger than we initially thought," the developer wrote.
"On the date of release, the overground of the world will increase by approximately one quarter, which is near-enough a 'The Island-sized' expansion; the update will feature new biomes, a coastal Wyvern canyon, an epic boss encounter, new engrams, and something secret the Ragnarok team are cooking up. We will also be adding their custom creatures to our main game, which will allow players to transfer them via the CrossARK system, so you'll be able to bring over your Ice Wyverns to The Island, The Center, and Scorched Earth."
This isn't the first issue Studio Wildcard has ran into with launching Ark out of Early Access. Earlier this month, the developer doubled the price of the game to £49.99 on Steam and, in the process, angered some fans.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Jeremy Stieglitz, Ark lead designer, lead programmer, development director and co-founder of Studio Wildcard explained the developer forced into a price hike by retailers who insisted the game cost the same in those shops as it does online.
"It has to do with one thing, and one thing only: seeing your game in a jewel case on store shelves. That's very important to us. We really really at the outset wanted to have this be a retail launch, have this game reach retail consumers. Not everybody downloads digital titles."