Ark: Survival Evolved has already been a big hit with Xbox One owners
Although Ark: Survival Evolved has been on Steam PC for a while, it only released on Xbox One recently, having debuted on that console’s Preview Program in December of 2015. That makes it all the more impressive that its Xbox One sales, announced today, have already exceeded 1 million. And add to that, 4 million in sales for the PC version. Not bad for a game that hasn’t even had its full official version released yet.
Since its appearance in Steam Early Access, fans played the game and suggested additions, found things for improvement, and modded the game in creative ways – all of which was extremely valuable in helping the game evolve into a much better and substantive experience, according to the developer. It might make for a later full launch date, but they are fine with that.
“ARK’s success has increased our content goals and Early Access players have helped us raise our ambitions with their invaluable feedback,” said Jesse Rapczak of Studio Wildcard. “When we first announced, we said 70 dinos, now we’ll have over 100. We never anticipated adding modding, local multiplayer, split screen, or numerous other upcoming features. The game at launch will be far more robust than originally conceived, but it takes a little extra time to wrap it all up.”
Now that they have embraced mods and even begun to make them part of the official game, Ark: Survival Evolved is looking to foster a real community that will stick with the game long after its full release in late 2016. Ark: Survival Evolved will apparently see its full launch this holiday season on Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program, PS4, and Steam PC.
The game is currently playable in Microsoft’s Game Preview on Xbox One and Steam’s Early Access program, which includes Oculus Rift VR support and an integration of Steam community features such as Steam Economy and Steam Workshop for custom maps and mods. But by the sounds of it, “release date” is irrelevant for this game, as it will continue to evolve for as long as people are playing it.
SOURCE: Press Release