The difference is that most companies OFFER a remastered version, not force it down your throat by shutting off servers so you don’t have a choice. Yes companies stop supporting their servers eventually but it is typically years after they have already released the new and remastered games.
This turned purely into a money grab. They realize they are changing Ark II so much that their current community will not be completely happy (they stated We also recognize that ARK 2 has some pretty significant design changes from the original game, which may not make it as appealing to everyone (looking at you, Souls-like combat, primitive-only weaponry, and strict third-person mechanics – and an overall “very serious” tone), which is why we feel it is essential to provide players with a fully next-gen version of the original experience to ensure that fans can continue to enjoy the ARK they know for years to come. ) The delay of Ark II is going to cost them money as well. So they thought two birds one stone. Release a remastered version for current fans because a portion of the community is not going to like/support Ark II and charge for the remastered to keep money flowing in the meantime. Actually not a bad move on their part, until they decided that people will not have the option to upgrade. It’s either give us more money to continue to play (and still lose all of your stuff) or stop playing/play solo/pay us monthly to play.
I honestly think the community would have better received all of this if:
1. ASA was offered as multiple different bundles - one with dlc and one with Ark II. So people can choose what fits best with their interests.
2. ASA was announced, but keeping ASE servers up so people can make the choice to upgrade or not (at least for a period of time).
3. ASA upgrade price gets modified to lower amount appropriate for only updating current content. Lots of people talking about willing to pay $30 to $40 for update and all dlcs.
This way the players wouldn’t have felt so forced. There would be time for transition. WC can still make money to carry over for Ark II. Players would stop feeling like they are paying a brand new game price for a game they already own, rather it would be seen as an upgrade fee.
I can’t think of a single time I’ve seen a game that has told their current players “hey, in 4 months we are shutting the servers you are currently on, off. You will only be able to play on official on a new game that comes out the same month, that you haven’t seen yet”. Companies are always announcing non-support or server shutdowns but it is years after launching their new title and giving players ample time to transition.
