It’s been so long since dino-survival sequel Ark 2 was unveiled, its preposterous Vin Diesel-starring CGI trailer almost feels like a dream. But developer Studio Wildcard remains adamant it’s still happening, and it’s paving the way for its arrival with a brand-new Ark: Survival Ascended expansion, Ark: Lost Colony, launching on 16th December.
Officially, Lost Colony serves as a link between Ark’s 2018 expansion Extinction and its 2019 follow-up Genesis, while also laying the groundwork for Ark 2. But it doesn’t stop there. Lost Colony also ties into Ark’s (still only 50 percent aired) animated TV series, bringing some of the show’s star-studded cast over to the game. As such, you can expect to hear the likes of Oscar winner Michelle Yeo, David Tenant, Battlestar Galactic’s Katie Sackhoff, and more – all appearing in “cinematic anime sequences” by Japanese studio MAPPA – when Lost Colony comes to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC in December.
Lost Colony is described as Survival Ascended’s “first canonical expansion”, and deposits player in the snowy wastes of Arat Prime – birthplace of the ARKs – where they’ll follow Mei Yin’s footsteps through an “intense journey into the heart of darkness”. There’s talk of “lost” character ability trees to unlock, “cursed” gear tiers and new building systems to craft, plus new creatures to tame – including the Ossidon, a “hulking, engineered apex winter-predator”.
Players eager to check out the Ossidon ahead of Lost Colony’s December arrival can do so right now, but only by purchasing Ark: Survival Ascended’s £29.99/$29.99 USD Lost Colony Expansion Pass. Cough up and the Ossidon can be experienced as “preview gameplay content” on existing maps, as it temporarily roams the cold biomes of Ragnarok, Valguero, and The Center.
Lost Colony arrives some six months after its originally announced June launch window, but there’s still no indication of when the repeatedly delayed Ark 2 might show up. It was originally announced in 2020 (with that silly Vin Diesel trailer) but didn’t feature in the Ark content roadmap released earlier this year, leaving many to speculate it won’t arrive until sometime after December 2026. Studio Wildcard is, of course, no stranger to delays; even the second half of the Ark animated television show – originally promised for 2024 – couldn’t escape the curse, and is now due sometime next year.
