TLDR: Following a backlash over an AI-generated trailer in March, Snail Games has released a new gameplay trailer for the ARK: Aquatica DLC, announcing a July 15, 2025 release date for PC. The new content will be an underwater expansion for ARK: Survival Evolved.
Snail Games has announced that the previously controversial ARK: Aquatica DLC for ARK: Survival Evolved will be released on July 15, 2025, exclusively on PC. The announcement was accompanied by a new, brief gameplay trailer, a move seen as an attempt to address the backlash from a previous trailer released in March 2025, which was created using generative AI.
The initial AI-generated trailer sparked outrage in the gaming community due to its poor quality, including visual glitches like characters with merged body parts and unnatural animations. In response to the criticism, Matt Kohl, the lead developer at Snail Colorado, clarified that the AI was used by the marketing team to animate still images from the game and that no generative AI was used in the development of the DLC itself. The original developer of the ARK franchise, Studio Wildcard, has also distanced itself from the Aquatica DLC.
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The upcoming expansion will immerse players in a vast underwater world, with 95% of the gameplay taking place beneath the surface. It will introduce a new storyline, unique survival mechanics, and various environmental hazards. The DLC will also add 21 new tameable creatures and 74 new engrams, including seven tek engrams. Despite the new trailer, some fans remain skeptical, with the short length of the new teaser drawing further questions and scrutiny.
