Day One! Launch & More!
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- By Jatheish
- 651 comments
- 61,575 views
Today, ARK: Survival Evolved has made its transition from an Early Access title to a full Digital and Retail release. As a studio, we are incredibly excited about reaching this milestone. It has been a challenging and emotional experience for everyone a part of the ARK world; we're overjoyed about finally being able to hold the complete ARK disc, and want to thank each one of you for joining us on this journey.
ARK started out as a very ambitious project, in terms of scope of content, features, and the story. It was no secret that we were in for an adventure with what we were hoping to achieve alongside the community. It started out as a basic open-world survival game, with one ARK, one boss, about 30 creatures, and approximately a bazillion bugs give or take. It was hard to say where the game would lead us, regarding its story, and its development. Those of you who were with us for the Early Access launch had many questions about how the world came to be, why you were here, and where we were going. Today, you can begin to discover the answer to those questions.
Over the past 26 months, the game has undergone massive improvements thanks to feedback from the community. We now launch with four ARKs - including the Norse & Scottish Highland-Inspired "Ragnarok" -, five bosses, over one hundred creatures to tame and encounter, the inclusion of the Primitive+ alternate game mode & Procedural ARKs, hundreds of mods, total User Interface overhauls, general performance enhancements, bug fixes, quality of life improvements, countless additional gameplay plus story elements, and... a toilet.
With the “1.0” release version, you can experience the full story of ARK: Survival Evolved! Can you make it to the heart of the ARK and discover the shocking secret that lies buried within? While it may seem strange for a survival game to have a “single player” mode with an “ending”, we’re happy that surviving the ARK provides a measure of closure should you seek it, while also pointing the way to what comes next.
Rest assured this complete version of the game will still be receiving regular updates, and this is not the end of the ARK saga, but only the beginning of the next phase, for great adventures and awe-inspiring new experiences are just around the corner…
It won't be long before we add two new members to our ever growing family of critters (with the Otter joining us today on PC, with the Phoenix and additional Tek Gear coming later this week!), as well as items, additional gameplay elements and more. ARK has only just scratched the surface, and there is a long future ahead, survivors everywhere will get to experience something out of this world.
Early Access hasn't been an easy or straightforward process; there is no established guidebook or instructions on how to take a game from early access, and into the full digital and physical retail release. You could say that we now understand why so few have done it. 
Having the community by our side, through thick and thin has been a key component to achieving this milestone. Sometimes we've made mistakes, and have had different opinions, but we truly appreciate each and every one of you. Your feedback, ideas, support, and passion through our Early Access journey have been vital to the development of the game and will continue to be invaluable to us. The community has undoubtedly influenced ARK for the better and contributed to its success and the landmark of reaching full digital and retail release.
We encourage everyone who has ever wanted to ride a T-Rex, soar across the skies on the back of a Pteranodon, fish from their boat as the evening sun fades over the horizon, or explore the deepest caverns to encounter terrifying extinct predators, to join us in the living, dynamic world that is ARK: Survival Evolved. Whether online or off, solo or in a large tribe, we think that everyone will find something special to discover on the ARK and make it their home.
Stay tuned for updates on the relaunch of our Official Server Network on our social media channels (@survivetheark), and watch this space over the course of this week for lots more exciting ARK news, hint hint!
See you there! 
Edited by Jat
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