Studio Wildcard unveils ARK Maker at IGN Live 2026 – build worlds directly in the game
At the IGN Live 2026 fair in Los Angeles, Studio Wildcard co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz announced several big new features for the ARK franchise all at once. The main one is the ARK Maker tool, which for the first time will allow players on any platform to create their own maps and modes directly within ARK: Survival Ascended.
Why ARK Maker matters
The numbers speak for themselves. According to Stieglitz, the traditional modding tools for PC are used by only about 1% of the audience, while more than 30% of players express the desire to create content. The gap is colossal. ARK Maker came to close it: the tool is built directly into the game and works on both PC and consoles – no third-party programs to install, no entry barrier.
It is a fundamental change for the open-world survival genre. Until now, user-created content in ARK remained the domain of enthusiasts – millions of players will be able to publish and exchange their creations without any technical barrier.
11 years in operation and a new maritime expansion
The announcement coincided with the 11th anniversary of the original ARK’s launch on Steam – an occasion Stieglitz marked with a retrospective video about the series’ evolution. The date is symbolic: the franchise traveled the road from early access to a complete re-release on Unreal Engine 5 and continues to expand.
On June 25 comes the free remaster of Genesis Ascended Part 1, along with the paid expansion Tides of Fortune. The big highlight is the series’ first physically simulated oceans and dynamic weather change. Players will receive customizable ships, large-scale naval battles and new creatures: among them, a rideable axolotl. It sounds unexpected, but for ARK that is normal.
Animated series and the universe’s future expansion
Stieglitz also touched on ARK: The Animated Series – the animation project whose second part is preparing to premiere on Paramount+. Details are still scarce, but the mere fact that the media universe around the franchise is developing reveals the studio’s serious ambitions. ARK long ago stopped being just a game about dinosaurs – it is already a media platform in the making.
ARK: Survival Ascended is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The base version includes all the series’ key worlds: Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part 1 and Part 2.
