The trailer had some glaring mistakes that drew flak from the player community.
Snail Games USA has come under fire after recently revealing a new trailer for ARK: Aquatica, the newest expansion for ARK: Survival Evolved, for its use of AI-generated imagery.
The trailer, which was released on Thursday (19 March), has sparked controversy because of the use of AI-generated footage, which, according to fans, lacks coherence and relevance to the game.
“Premiering at GDC, this latest expansion takes survival to the deep blue with new creatures, mechanics, and dangers lurking below,” the description of the trailer on YouTube wrote.
The 70-second trailer began with some gameplay footage from Ark: Survival, before it transitioned to CGI footage that featured smooth surfaces, with viewers even spotting a six-arm octopus. One character swimming underwater even had their feet turn into flippers for no apparent reason. Nothing else about the actual content of the DLC was revealed in the trailer.
The video received over 7,000 dislikes and more than 1,500 comments. One of the most-liked comments was from YouTube user Syntac, where they said “This is disgusting, and you should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Another YouTube user named AdamJClarkson timestamped some of the glaring mistakes in the trailer. Some of these mistakes include “three hands holding the speargun” and another pointing out how the boat “physically merged with the environment.”
ARK: Survival Ascended creators distance themselves from the controversy
Amid the backlash, Studio Wildcard, the makers of the original game, ARK: Survival Ascended distanced themselves from the controversy.
On ARK: Survival Ascended's official X (formerly Twitter) account, they clarified that the Aquatica DLC is being developed by Snail Games USA, in Colorado.
“Studio Wildcard remains entirely dedicated to the production of Ark: Survival Ascended & Ark 2, and we’re excited to bring Ark: Lost Colony to you later this year!” the statement explained. SnailGames has not addressed the criticism or made any relevant comment as of the time of writing.
