As the wait for Ark 2 continues, fans are still playing Studio Wildcard and Sail Games' first survival game, Ark: Survival Evolved – but it's safe to say its latest DLC reveal isn't going too well.
Unveiling the new Aquatica map DLC with what appears to be an AI-generated trailer during this year's Game Developers Conference, Snail Games has left a sour taste in players' mouths. While the short video seems to highlight some of Aquatica's underwater features, including its behemoth oceanic beasts, most fans – myself included – can't get past how jarring the use of AI is, especially when generative AI is, to say the least, so controversial.
Not only is the animated portion of the trailer seemingly AI-generated, though, but viewers are also commenting that the actual voice acting likely is, too. As far as I can see, there's no actor credited or specified in or under the video, and the voice certainly sounds like it might fit within the realm of AI.
"AI video, AI voice, AI subtitles, AI narration script," reads one fan's response. "Did anyone put even a second of work into this?"
It's difficult to overlook the probability of generative AI and actually draw any of the DLC's features from the trailer, according to other players.
"When the official trailer has no real, animated, or in-game footage," writes one such fan.
"There's a bit of Ark in your AI," jokes another commenter.
As a longtime fan, I'm honestly just hoping that this doesn't mark the turn of a new page in Ark's book – especially with a sequel underway.
After all, Ark 2 was finally mentioned recently in an animated (not AI-generated) trailer for another Survival Evolved expansion after months of no word on the second entry from Studio Wildcard. The last significant mention of the mysterious sequel was this past August, when Xbox announced a playable demo of the game only to immediately pull it. So here's to hoping that when we do get a new Ark 2 trailer, it's AI-free.
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