Jeremy Stieglitz announces ARK Maker and the rework of Genesis Part 1
On the IGN Live 2026 stage, Studio Wildcard co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz dropped several big announcements for the ARK franchise all at once. The main new feature is the ARK Maker tool, which lets players create custom maps directly inside the game, without Unreal Engine and even without a PC. That changes the rules of the game – literally.
ARK Maker: an editor for everyone, not just the chosen few
Until now, modding in ARK remained the domain of enthusiasts with powerful computers and the patience to learn Unreal Engine. ARK Maker breaks that barrier. The tool is built directly into the game and is available on any platform – consoles included.
Players without any technical background will be able to create functional maps and content. It is a direct bet on the growth of user content and on audience retention: a community that creates its own content lives far longer than one that waits for patches from the developers. Wildcard, by all indications, understands this well.
Genesis Part 1 remake and a fully physical ocean
The second big announcement is the rework of the Genesis Part 1 expansion. The key change: fully physical water in the open ocean. It sounds like a detail, but for ARK, with its aquatic component, it is a fundamental upgrade – water behavior, interaction with creatures, diving dynamics. All of that stops being mere scenery.
Genesis Part 1 originally launched in 2020 and received mixed reviews – in large part because of technical limitations at launch. The remake looks like an attempt to settle old debts with the audience and show how this content should have worked from the start.
ARK: The Animated Series returns to Paramount+
During the presentation, a preview of the second part of the animated ARK: The Animated Series also appeared – premiering on Paramount+. The first part drew an ambiguous reaction, but the studio continues to develop the media franchise. It is a bet on audience retention beyond the game itself – a classic move for an IP with ambitions of long-term existence.
All the announcements had the support of Snail Games. Concrete release dates have not yet been disclosed, but the scale of what was shown indicates that Wildcard is preparing for one of the most intense periods in the franchise’s history.
