The first new expansion to the multiplayer dinosaur survival simulator Ark: Survival Evolved in three years was announced at GDC 2025. The presentation was marred by an unusual scandal.
Image source: Snail Games
The expansion is called Ark: Aquatica and is billed as an “ambitious” adventure, 95% of which will take place underwater. It promises 17 new creatures, items, challenges, and an “intriguing story” beyond the Ark canon.
The announcement was accompanied by a cinematic trailer, but instead of excitement, it only caused anger and rejection among fans: the minute-long video was created almost entirely with the help of AI.
The video has already been hidden from YouTube search results, but it is still available via the link. At the time of publication, the trailer has 165 likes and 25 times more dislikes (over four thousand).
Commenters condemned the use of AI to create the video (especially in such a large volume). “It’s disgusting and you should be ashamed,” says Ark blogger Syntac, with 1.6 million subscribers.
Ark: Aquatica Gameplay Trailer
It is noteworthy that even before the publication of the scandalous trailer, Studio Wildcard (Ark: Survival Ascended, Ark 2) hastened to announce its non-involvement in Ark: Aquatica. The add-on is being developed by Snail Games.
Ark: Aquatica will be released on PC in June of this year. Meanwhile, Studio Wildcard is preparing the Ark: Lost Colony add-on for Ark: Survival Ascended (scheduled for November), which should become a link with Ark 2.