When we last reported on "Ark 2," the sequel to the popular dinosaur survival RPG, an Early Access version was expected to be released by the end of the year. It's been more than a year since that news broke, but when Microsoft included it on its gamescom playable demo list, it looked like we might finally get an update on the Vin Diesel-starring sequel. Then it was removed.

"Ark 2 was originally listed as playable in the Xbox booth. We were close to seeing proof that Ark 2 was actually a real-life video game, not just a name given to a bizarre trailer featuring Vin Diesel and Aury Cravalho riding a dinosaur."

Neither Studio Wildcard nor its co-developer Grove Street Games have said anything about the project since it passed its original 2023 release date. If Ark 2 is real and will still be released this year, it will be one of the strangest surprise drops in a while.

According to a 2022 SEC filing, Microsoft paid a full $2.3 million to distribute Ark 2 exclusively on Game Pass for three years. Four years after the game was announced, no one is even sure if it is a proper sequel to Ark: Survival Evolved. The answer may lie in Ark: The Animated Series, but the show's last seven episodes have yet to appear on Paramount+.

The original Ark is a popular multiplayer sandbox game on Steam and is actively hovering around the top 50 most played games. The remastered version, Ark: Survival Ascended, is not, but it continues to be in Early Access and has been steadily updated, including the ability to paint dinosaurs in Olympic colors. there will be no shortage of people eagerly awaiting Ark 2, and this time next year it will still be an unknown quantity It would be a shame if it were.