The Ark: Survival Evolved community has strongly criticized a new trailer for the expansion "Ark: Aquatica," released by publisher Snail Games. The backlash stems from the trailer's apparent use of generative AI imagery, which has been described as "appalling" by fans. This reaction followed Snail Games' announcement at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) about their in-house developed expansion, set in an ambitious underwater environment where 95% of the gameplay occurs beneath the surface.
The community's discontent was notably voiced by Irish YouTuber Syntac, who has over 1.9 million subscribers. He labeled the trailer as "disgusting" and urged Snail Games to feel ashamed. His comment is currently the most popular on the Ark: Aquatica trailer. Other viewers echoed his sentiments, calling the trailer "pathetic" and "embarrassing." The trailer's AI-generated content was criticized for its poor quality, including fish that appear and disappear, a distorted hand holding a spear gun, an octopus that seems to float without purpose, and human feet transforming into flippers.
In response to the controversy, the original developer of Ark: Survival Evolved, Studio Wildcard, quickly clarified on social media that they are not involved with Ark: Aquatica. They emphasized their focus on developing Ark: Survival Ascended and Ark 2, and announced the upcoming expansion Ark: Lost Colony, which will bridge into the sequel. This announcement comes after the uncertainty surrounding Ark 2's release, initially planned for late 2024 but now confirmed to be in continued development.
Notably, the trailer for Ark: Aquatica features Michelle Yeoh reprising her role from Ark: The Animated Series, adding a familiar face to the contentious expansion.
