One of the biggest survival games on the market is Ark: Survival Evolved. Starting with players surviving against dinosaurs, the world of Ark continues to expand, with its latest expansion, Ark: Lost Colony, out now! The Iron Lords interviewed Studio Wildcard Co-Founder, Jeremy Stieglitz, going over all the upcoming features and more coming to Ark with this latest expansion.
Origins of ARK and The Lord’s History with It
Lord Cognito begins the interview with an introduction to the Ark series, commenting on how the late Lord Dizzy loved the game. Jeremy Stglitz then explains how Ark works, describing the game as a multiplayer, open-world experience where players must survive a brutal world and tame the very beasts that hunt them.
But the game, fittingly enough, evolved over the years. Now the game has expanded into the realm of sci-fi with alien technology, creatures, and a larger scale. Considering where the game began over ten years ago, it’s amazing seeing it evolve to where it is now.
Current Gen Version & Community Support
But one must ask, where is Ark today? As Jeremy explains in his interview with Cog, the game received a next-gen version on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series platforms. This version, called Survival Ascended, runs on Unreal Engine 5 and offers updated visuals and new content.
And the community is a big focus for Jeremy and his team, ensuring fans that a dedicated live-service team is working on bug and balance fixes. Survival Ascended will also be using the latest version of UE5 (5.7) Q1 2026, promising performance improvements on all platforms.
A New Frontier – Ark: Lost Colony Expansion
The highlight of the interview has to be Cog asking Jeremy about Lost Colony, a huge expansion coming to Ark: Survival Ascended.
While Jeremy highlights that it’s designed for veterans after Cog asked about whether the expansion is beginner-friendly, the starting Island Map would be a good place for newcomers to learn the ins and outs of Ark’s deep mechanics.
Some key features of the Lost Colony expansion include a more spooky theme, where players will fight advanced creatures, like the new vampire enemy. In addition, it is end-game level content for seasoned Ark players.
Beneath the Vein – Additional Features
The expansion will offer players a deep Skyrim-inspired skill tree to explore, giving additional freedom for character building. Building on top of this will be a deep NPC system, where players can level up NPCs and recruit them into their tribe.
As Jeremy explained the nuances of the NPC and Skill Tree system, I couldn’t help but imagine the depth one would see in an open-world western RPG, but in the gameplay format of a survival game. It could genuinely shake up the genre.
Closing Thoughts
As the interview concluded, Cog expressed great excitement and interest in what the team at Studio Wildcard is creating with Ark: Lost Colony.
They are taking the strong skeleton of what they created before, but adding so many new layers that fundamentally change the game. You can play Ark: Lost Colony on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S today. Stay tuned for additional updates on Ark, here at Lords of Gaming.
