Michelle Yeoh Joins Ark: Survival Ascended Before Sequel

The dinosaur survival game Ark 2, which some worried might be in trouble or even canceled, is back on track after developer Studio Wildcard announced a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that ties directly into the sequel.

Ark: Lost Colony is the first original expansion for the Ark 1 remake, Ark: Survival Ascended. Its reveal trailer, featured below, was produced by acclaimed anime studio Mappa (known for Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and Chainsaw Man) and stars the voice of Michelle Yeoh, who reprises her role as Mei Yin from Ark: The Animated Series.

Studio Wildcard stated that the expansion will include numerous cinematic anime story sequences created by Mappa. Here’s the official description:

In this new frozen world, players follow the journey of legendary Ark survivor Mei Yin, embarking on a profound quest into a chilling realm of darkness to uncover long-buried secrets about Ark's past.

Ark: Lost Colony will challenge survivors with thrilling new obstacles as they become the hunted in a vast, occupied city. They will also gain powerful new character abilities, unique gear, building systems, and incredibly exotic creatures to tame.

Will survivors confront the demons hiding in Arat Prime and bridge the gap between Ark's past and future?

In a press statement, Studio Wildcard confirmed that Ark: Lost Colony directly links the storylines of Ark’s Extinction and Genesis expansions, setting the stage for the events of Ark 2.

Ark 2 is the Unreal Engine 5-powered sequel to the massively popular Ark: Survival Evolved. It was first revealed with a surprise cameo from Vin Diesel at The Game Awards 2020, initially targeting a 2022 release before being delayed to 2023. Then, earlier in 2023, Ark 2 was delayed again, this time to late 2024, as an Xbox Series X and S console exclusive, launching day one on Game Pass and available on PC via Steam and Windows.

As recently as December 2023, Studio Wildcard still maintained that Ark 2 was on schedule for a late 2024 release. When that didn’t happen, it naturally raised concerns among fans. This new announcement, arriving three months into 2025, should help reassure players that Ark 2 is still in development, though Studio Wildcard has not yet shared an updated release window.

However, we do have more concrete details for Ark: Lost Colony. Pre-orders begin in June 2025, and all purchases will immediately grant access to exclusive preview gameplay content. The full release is scheduled for November 2025, with Ark: Lost Colony priced at $29.99 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.