Ark: Survival Evolved Devs Respond To Early Access DLC Concerns

When Studio Wildcard released the Ark: Scorched Earth expansion pack for Ark: Survival Evolved commentators were not happy. "How can a company release a paid DLC for an Early Access game?" Survival Evolved's Steam page has been bombed with negative reactions.

Then one of the members of the studio responded to a player's ramble a bit too abrasive, which didn't help their cause, and they have since apologized. Not that I don't understand the emotional response: when the whole world is throwing bricks at you it takes an uncanny cool to not throw a brick back. But he probably should've clipped his keyboard.

Today, along with a new Dino (Kentrosaurus), Studio Wildcard responded to the entire affair:

Scorched Earth: Our original vision for ARK always included the creation of Expansion ARKs, along with the infrastructure and technical systems to transfer data dynamically between live ARKs. We determined that it is more sound to iterate on these systems during Early Access than after retail launch, given the significant risks involved if we didn't "get it right". While that meant unveiling the first Expansion early, it also means an easier time integrating further post-launch Expansions into the ARK network. We understand that this isn't everyone's cup of tea, and we appreciate the enjoyment people seem to be getting out of this initial view of how Expansion ARKs can work. Now that we have the systems in place to support them, we can ensure minimal integration issues with subsequent releases after ARK: Survival Evolved itself has launched.

Sean's Take: What I find funny about the controversy is the core issue: what does "Early Access" mean? We've often joked that games will stay in Early Access forever because it serves as an excuse for any lacking content or optimization issues, and Ark: Survival Evolves is one of those exemplary titles. Is there a tacit agreement between players and a studio working on an Early Access title that all of their efforts will be narrowly focused to meet an abstract player expectation? I'm not sure.

The affair is representative of player's growing dissatisfaction with Early Access titles (pre-orders included), and the belief they're being scammed by greedy developers who only care about their bank accounts, and not the games they create. Vigilance is fine, even needed. There are plenty of scams out there, but they has spoiled the pot.

It's unfortunate most dissatisfied comments are like dirt-covered Mountain Dew cans on the wrong side of the train tracks, filled with speculation and emotion. There are interesting questions at play here that go beyond Ark's shenanigans. How will this situation influence the industry?

Also, vote with your wallet.

But what do I know?