Today, Ark: Survival Evolved has made the leap from Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access to a full game release. Â Since the game first landed on Xbox Game Preview and Early Access much has changed with the title. Microsoft has detailed how the game has “evolved” in that time from its first appearance in December of 2015 to the 1.0 edition released today.
Ark: Survival Evolved has added two additional Arks that can be played on above what was originally conceived. One of these Arks is called Ragnarok.  In Norse mythology,  Ragnarok refers to a future battle the results in the death of many gods including Odin, Thor, and Loki. In Ark: Survival Evolved this Ark is also Norse inspired and involves new creatures such as Polar Bears, Griffins, and the Ice Wyvern.
Since Xbox Game Preview and Early Access, the total number of creatures that inhabit the environments has risen from 40 to over 100. Couch co-op has also been added thanks to fans feedback as well as a complete overhaul of the user interface. Â Developer Studio Wildcard has also spent plenty of this time polishing the visuals of Ark: Survival Evolved. They also worked on fixing bugs, game performance, and general game refinement. Â Lastly, they added the Primitive+ alternate game mode. Primitive+ features enhanced gameplay, more than 100 custom primitive items, and their Engams. In short, players have to predominantly use stone and wood materials and do not have the benefit of advanced metals.
Ark: Survival Evolved 1.0 edition released today, August 29, 2017. While the game got its start of the Xbox Game Preview and Early Access programs the complete game also releases on PS4, Linux, OS X and Windows 10. It will be available at both retail and digital download. The game has won numerous awards including Best in Show at PAX Prime 2015 and GameStars 2015 Best Early Access Game.