On Wednesday, Snail Games, the publisher behind Ark: Survival Evolved, released a peculiar and largely criticized trailer for their upcoming expansion, Ark: Aquatica. The reaction from fans was swift and overwhelmingly negative. Even Studio Wildcard, the original developers of Ark, seemed to distance themselves from this new project, taking to social media to clarify they had no part in its creation.
The backlash against Ark: Aquatica primarily arises from the trailer’s near-complete reliance on AI-generated content. Both the visuals and the awkwardly robotic narration, which invites players to explore “a whole new world” beneath the waves, seem to have rubbed the community the wrong way.
Critics have pointed out the trailer’s signature AI oddities—the unnatural movements, oddly twisting limbs, and an overall synthetic look that screams artificial. Unsurprisingly, viewer responses have been less than kind.
One well-known Ark streamer, The AxeMan, voiced the community’s frustration, saying, “You are so out of touch with your audience. DO BETTER.” This sentiment echoes the general disappointment and anger felt by many.
In a parallel announcement, Studio Wildcard reiterated their lack of involvement with Ark: Aquatica. They clarified on their social media, “ARK: Aquatica is being developed by [Snail Games] Colorado. Please follow them for more updates.” Wildcard remains committed to their current projects, ARK: Survival Ascended & ARK 2, promising fans exciting new content with ARK: Lost Colony coming later this year.
It’s safe to say that Ark: Aquatica’s debut hasn’t quite hit the mark Snail Games was aiming for. With the expansion scheduled for release in June, it is described as a “non-canonical side story to Ark,” offering a supposedly “family-friendly” introduction for newcomers—presumably those who can overlook its AI origins.
