Michelle Yeoh Joins 'Ark: Survival Ascended' for Lost Colony

Dinosaur survival game Ark 2 has resurfaced after concerns about development troubles or potential cancellation, as developer Studio Wildcard unveiled a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that serves as a prelude to the sequel.

Ark: Lost Colony marks the first original expansion for the Ark 1 remake Ark: Survival Ascended. Below, check out the reveal trailer produced by renowned anime studio MAPPA (known for Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and Chainsaw Man), featuring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as Mei Yin from Ark: The Animated Series.

Studio Wildcard confirms the expansion will include multiple high-quality anime cinematic sequences created by MAPPA. Here's the official description:

In this frozen new world, players trace the path of legendary Ark survivor Mei Yin, embarking on a perilous journey into darkness to uncover long-buried secrets about Ark's mysterious past.

Ark: Lost Colony presents survivors with challenging new gameplay scenarios as they navigate a vast occupied city where they become the hunted. Players will gain access to powerful new character abilities, unique equipment, advanced building systems, and exceptional creatures to tame.

Can survivors confront the threats lurking in Arat Prime and bridge the gap between Ark's history and its future?

Studio Wildcard emphasized that Ark: Lost Colony "directly connects" the storylines from Ark's Extinction and Genesis expansions while setting the stage for Ark 2's events.

Ark 2 represents the Unreal Engine 5-powered follow-up to the massively successful Ark: Survival Evolved. Originally announced at The Game Awards 2020 with a surprise Vin Diesel cameo and a planned 2022 release, the project experienced multiple delays - first to 2023, then to late 2024 as an Xbox Series X/S console exclusive with a day-one Game Pass release, plus PC availability through Steam and Windows.

As late as December 2023, Studio Wildcard maintained that Ark 2 remained on schedule for late 2024. The missed deadline understandably raised concerns among fans. This announcement, arriving in early 2025, offers reassurance about the sequel's ongoing development, though the studio hasn't provided an updated release timeline.

More concrete details are available for Ark: Lost Colony. Pre-orders begin in June 2025, granting immediate access to exclusive preview content. The full expansion launches in November 2025 priced at $29.99 across Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC platforms.