ARK is slowly approaching a release date. In the near future, the updates will become less frequent, but the remaining bugs will be fixed.
The Co-Creative Director in Interview
The dinosaur game ARK: Survival Evolved has been persistently ranking high in the charts of most played games on Steam for several months. Although several early access titles have secured a spot there, ARK stands out for several reasons. In a interview with rockpapershotgun, Jesse Rapczak, the co-creative director of the game, talked about the future and why ARK needs to reach the finish line soon.
Why ARK is so Successful
The main reason for the great and ongoing success of ARK, according to Rapczak, is the frequent updates of the game, which not only fix numerous bugs but also continuously provide the community with new gameplay content. Anyone who has not played ARK for a few weeks will have many new things to accomplish upon their return.
At the same time, the developers are working to increase the flexibility of the servers. If the game is too lengthy and grind-intensive, players can simply join a server that accelerates these processes significantly. This way, ARK offers something for players who are dissatisfied with certain aspects.
Another plus point he sees is in how players are treated: Progress is rarely lost, even despite the early access phase, unless there is no other option. This significantly reduces the frustration of those who have invested many hours into a character.
Early Access Must Not Last Forever
Many games, according to Rapczak, seem to be stuck in the early access phase endlessly. For some players, this business model has become disreputable, because even after money has been paid, they never receive a finished game. With ARK, they want to bring this kind of game development, in which players can massively participate, back into a positive light. Fans should know that they will soon hold a complete, finished game in their hands, and that is now being worked on intensively. On the other hand, there are many players who cannot relate to early access at all and just want to enjoy a finished game.
The First Expansion Brings More Story and Additional Content
Once the polishing of the main game is complete, they want to start working on the first expansion without major delays. Although there are no concrete details yet, it should contain new areas, more story content, and additional creatures. Just a few months after the release of the base game, the expansion should also enter an early access phase to again provide fans with the same participation opportunities as before.
Rapczak is confident that the players’ feedback and his team’s quick responses to criticism and wishes contribute greatly to ARK’s success – and they want to maintain that success in the future.
