ARK: Survival Ascended was released on October 25, 2023. Initially, the game launched into some controversy, as it seemed nothing more than an updated and improved version of ARK: Survival Evolved, but with pay-to-win aspects added. Furthermore, the developers were accused of a lack of transparency regarding how the launch of ARK: Survival Ascended would fit into the ARK franchise, and whether existing ARK players would need to pay to play the game.