Currently, ARK: Survival Evolved is facing a lot of criticism. The new addon Genesis is not well received at all. Nevertheless, a new player record has been set on Steam.
What record did ARK set? The player counts of the last 30 days are currently at Steam at 56,865 concurrent players. The peak during this time was 153,947 players. This is the highest ARK has ever been played on Steam.
The previous record was in February 2020 with 138,648 players.
Genesis under criticism
What do the ratings of the game look like? The Genesis Season Pass currently on Steam has a rating of 38% and has been mostly rated negatively in the past 30 days. There is a lot of criticism regarding the new expansion.
Why is ARK currently being criticized so heavily? Genesis was not well received by the players. Not only was the release messed up, but the content is also not getting much approval. Criticisms include the small biomes, lack of building options in mission areas, no possibility to fly anymore, as well as a confusing story.
What’s going on?
Why are ARK’s player numbers skyrocketing? Last weekend, a free play weekend took place. This means players could play ARK for free for a few days.
In addition, the survival game is currently also reduced by 80%. This naturally attracts some interested players who have checked out ARK during the free weekend.
Furthermore, the new addon Genesis has likely contributed to the increase in players. It was already evident before release that it did not meet fan expectations. Therefore, many must have purchased the expansion and played it, only to realize afterward that it wasn’t as hoped.
ARK fans have thus bought the Season Pass and played Genesis, causing player numbers to spike. This, combined with the free play weekend and the reduced price, is most likely the reason for the new record on Steam.
This is why the coming weeks are exciting: It will be interesting to see how player numbers develop over the month of March and into April. Will we see a drastic decline, or will the numbers remain high?
If the numbers remain high, it could indicate that a substantial number of players actually like Genesis and that only a vocal minority is complaining.
