Priced at $54.99 USD/€49.99/£39.99, the Ark: Survivor’s Pack for PlayStation 4 was released today through the PlayStation Store, bundling together Ark: Survival Evolved and the Scorched Earth expansion. North American gamers will have to wait until spring 2017 for the game and DLC to be available separately, but those in Europe can currently grab them for €34.99/£29.99 (game) and €19.99/£15.99 (DLC).
If you’d prefer a physical copy of Ark: Survival Evolved, the “full content-complete” retail version will arrive in spring 2017 for PS4 and Xbox One. At that time, the equivalent digital versions on all platforms will have their prices raised to $59.99 USD, and Scorched Earth will cost $19.99 USD.
To celebrate the launch of Ark on PS4, developer Studio Wildcard is hosting a special Evolution Event until Monday, December 12 at 9am PT/12pm ET that activates 2x Harvesting Rate, 2x Taming Rate, and 2x EXP Rate.
Studio Wildcard is aiming to get Ark: Survival Evolved to the “content complete” point in spring 2017. Before that happens, they’ll be releasing a constant stream of major updates to the “work-in-progress” version of the game, adding many more creatures, weapons, armor, and game mechanics, as well as numerous lifestyle improvements.
Here’s a preview of what’s to come, which includes player-run servers and optional cross-play:
The ARK will be undergoing a complete redesign and expansion of its underground cave systems; a whole new tier of weapons, structures and items dubbed the TEK Tier; further increased game performance and optimization; per-pixel canvas painting; infinite customizable Procedurally Generated ARKs; new systems such as hair customization and the “Ascension” end-game cycle; limited-time holiday events, and of course you cannot forget an expanded menagerie of wondrous creatures.
One feature we’re incredibly excited to bring to PS4 and Xbox survivors early next year is the concept of player-run, PC-hosted dedicated servers. These servers will have higher maximum player counts and a good deal of customizable settings, for hardcore server administrators to tune everything to their liking. We’re working on it, and so far it’s looking very promising! Optional cross-play, including PS4, should come along shortly thereafter!
The first update, scheduled for December 9, will add a 1080p option on PlayStation 4 Pro, Primitive+, and some fixes:
- PS4 Pro now has 1080p option
- Europe: Primitive+ added
- Option to disable Outgoing Voice Chat (for Streamers etc)
- Fixed Invites
- Fixed N/A Ping times sorting incorrectly
- Fixed Ping times to player-hosted servers
- Fixed Cross-Ark List to display only the servers you can actually transfer to
- Fixed a case where you could get stuck in trees / foliage
If you’re playing Ark on PS4 Pro, you can expect “substantial performance benefits.”
According to the PlayStation Store, Ark is a 14.6GB download.
[Source: Survive the Ark (1), (2), PS Blog]
