Summary
Ark: Survival Evolved,Studio Wildcard’s 2017 online multiplayer sandbox survival crafting title, is one of the most well-known and popular within the genre. Players are tasked with exploring expansive tropical islands and more, where dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts roam, while collecting resources to upgrade their equipment and capabilities.Ark: Survival Evolvedcaptivated many fans not only through its engaging gameplay, but with a deep story and lore, albeit with much of the narrative contained in hidden notes and journals scattered throughout its maps. These hint at much greater events and secrets within its world, providing additional interesting narrative elements on top of the core loops.
This past March, Part 1 (the first 6 episodes) ofArk: The Animated Serieswas released on Paramount Plus. While discussing the process of designing the show with Game Rant, Jeremy Stieglitz, series creator, director, and executive producer, went into more detail about the approaches taken to adaptingArk’s story and related elements into an animated episodic format. Stieglitz broke down some key differences regarding aspects of the game that were altered or portrayed in ways that make them a better fit for the intent of the story and the medium.
Adapting Ark: Survival Evolved’s Storyline For an Animated Episodic Format
When asked aboutArk: The Animated Series' themes such as the morality of violence and related, Stieglitz explained that it was one of the show’s core ideas. While the game’s lore dives more intothe reason the Arks existthan serious character-related themes, the animated series being in a different medium allowed for Stieglitz and everyone involved with the adaptation to do something fresh.
Those ethical/moral themes and emotional and character-driven aspects just don’t really have a space to develop in the way the game’s story is told. But themes of war, love, regret, guilt, trauma, etc. were very much part of the show’s mix from the beginning.
Differences Between Ark: The Animated Series and Survival Evolved’s Plot Elements
Stieglitz also elaborated on how he and the team decided the best methods to incorporateArk: Survival Evolved’s established componentsinto the show, which in some cases entailed notable but necessary changes. This included increasing Helena Walker’s role, as though she was already important to the lore ofArk, she became the full-on protagonist of the show.
We asked ourselves: What advantages do we have in the narrative medium versus the interactive? Some games are more heavily narrative based.Ark: Survival Evolved’s narrativeis closer to context for why you’re there taming dinosaurs etc. This was an opportunity to create something emotionally engaging in a way that we couldn’t with the game.
Fan Reactions to Some of Ark: The Animated Series’s Narrative Changes
Overall,Arkfans and newcomers were largely positive on the animated series. Still, this does not mean there was no feedback for the creative team. Describing some of the feedback received on Part 1 ofArk: The Animated Series, Stieglitz noted:
While by and large it’s been very positive, some were disappointed that it’s not a literal 1:1 of the Explorer Notes plot. We explicitly decided early on we were going to do an adaptation rather than a transliteration. For fans who may not have been expecting that, seeing things changed can be off-putting, especially if they’re very familiar with those details.
But I think it allows for surprises, because they then don’t necessarily know exactly how everything’s going to play out in the show.
Stieglitz also shared that the show’s structure was different so that it would work better foranyone not familiar withArk: Survival Evolved. With all these angles in place,Ark: The Animated Serieslooks to take fans of the games and newcomers alike on an incredible journey through its characters and world.
Ark: The Animated SeriesPart 1 is currently available for streaming on Paramount Plus. Part 2 will release at a later date.
Ark: Survival Ascended
WHERE TO PLAY
Respawn into a new dinosaur survival experience beyond your wildest dreams… as ARK is reimagined from the ground-up into the next-generation of videogame technology with Unreal Engine 5! You awake on a mysterious island, your senses overwhelmed by the blinding sunlight and brilliant colors bouncing off every surface around you, the azure waters of a verdant Island lapping at your bare feet. A deep roar echoes from the misty jungle, jolting you into action, and you stand up – not afraid, but intrigued. Are you ready to form a tribe, tame and breed hundreds of species of dinosaurs and other primeval creatures, explore, craft, build, and fight your way to the top of the food-chain? Your new world awaits… step through the looking-glass and join it!
