ARK: Survival Evolved remains one of the most popular survival titles on PC and consoles, more than a year after it’s Steam debut. Which is usually how long it takes new survival games to fade back into the ether. Now, Studio Wildcard is planning the franchise’s first spin-off, a virtual reality project called ARK Park that will combine virtual museums and “live” exhibits to create a Jurassic Park that won’t ever be shut down because the attractions are eating the guests. And we couldn’t be more excited.
The first teaser trailer for ARK Park debuted this week, offering fans a two-minute preview of a sprawling virtual facility filled with all sorts of prehistoric creatures. Development is being handled by Snail Games, a company best known in the U.S. for Black Gold Online , and executive producer Sky Wu says ARK Park will let players explore a variety of biomes “ on-foot, riding dinosaurs, or riding vehicles. ” Players will also be able to interact with many of the creatures, track down rare creatures for ARK Park and improve the facility’s data collection. There’s even a photography mode for the Pokémon Snap fan in all of us.
ARK: Survival Evolved fans might also be happy to hear that their time in Studio Wildcard’s first game could pay dividends in ARK Park , too. According to Wu, any creatures captured in ARK: Survival Evolved , or the Scorched Earth DLC, can be added to the ARK Park petting zoo. The ARK Park EP says the petting zoo will also include features that let fans repaint their dinosaurs and/or give them cosmetic items.
For an early look at ARK Park , take a few minutes to review the announcement trailer from Studio Wildcard. Then head down to the comments section and let us know what you’re hoping to see in ARK Park when the project hits all three major VR platforms next year.
ARK Park is in development for the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. The game is expected to debut sometime in 2017.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com for more ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK Park coverage in 2017 and however long Studio Wildcard continues to support the ARK franchise.
