Today at IGN Live 2026 in downtown Los Angeles, Studio Wildcard’s co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz took the stage with IGN Host Alan Knight to unveil new ARK franchise details. Marking ARK’s 11th anniversary of its original launch onto Steam, Stieglitz reflected on the franchise’s evolution with a retrospective sizzle reel before unveiling ARK Maker, a powerful new world-building mode that will allow both PC and console players to build, share, and experience their custom maps and gameplay creations directly within ARK: Survival Ascended.
- Watch the ARK Maker trailer HERE.
- Watch the ARK 11 Year Celebration trailer HERE.
- Download the latest assets HERE.
- Download all ARK Franchise media assets HERE.
“Only about 1% of ARK players have installed our traditional PC-based modding tools, but more than 30% say they want to create content,” said Jeremy Stieglitz, co-creative director and lead designer, Studio Wildcard. “ARK Maker lowers those barriers by enabling powerful content creation on every platform within the game itself, enabling millions more players to build the ARK experience of their dreams. Our community has always been incredibly creative, and with this far more accessible tool, we can’t wait to see what they design.”
Following the ARK game updates, Stieglitz also unveiled new details for ARK: The Animated Series, highlighting the continued expansion of the ARK universe ahead of the show’s Part 2 return to Paramount+.
On June 25, the next chapter of ARK arrives with the launch of the free Genesis Ascended Part 1 remaster and the premium Tides of Fortune expansion. Featuring a complete overhaul of the fan-favorite story map, this is ARK‘s first-ever physically simulated oceans and dynamic weather systems. Survivors can take to the high seas in customizable ships, engage in large-scale naval warfare, and tame new creatures such as the rideable Axoltl.
ARK: Survival Ascended includes access to all of ARK’s worlds, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, ARK Genesis Part 1 and Part 2. Available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam, players will create a Survivor, form a tribe, and then tame, train, breed & ride dinosaurs all within a living ecosystem.
For the latest updates, join the ARK Survivor’s conversation on Discord, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit our website at playark.com and watch us tame ‘n train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.
# # #ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD
Since revealing its flagship game ARK: Survival Evolved in 2015, Studio Wildcard has tirelessly strived to bring its dinosaur-filled vision to the masses. With millions of players worldwide, the team has delivered an amazing amount of new content and leveraged cutting-edge technology to keep fans engaged. With a transmedia universe, the ARK story can be discovered on all gaming platforms, within spin-off titles, and now as an epic narrative featuring a star-studded cast in ARK: The Animated Series on Paramount+. www.studiowildcard.com
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