{"title":"Studio Wildcard","description":"\u003cp\u003eStudio Wildcard was founded in 2014 and is based in Redmond, Washington, with a second office in Gainesville, Florida, though early press coverage simply called it a Seattle studio. Its co-founders came from very different corners of the industry: Jeremy Stieglitz had been creative director at Trendy Entertainment, the studio behind Dungeon Defenders, while Jesse Rapczak arrived as a veteran of Microsoft Game Studios and Sony Online Entertainment. Susan Stieglitz is also named among the founders, and Doug Kennedy served as chief executive during the studio's formative years. The team's first and defining project, ARK: Survival Evolved, entered Steam Early Access on 2 June 2015 and became one of the era's biggest early-access stories almost overnight: players woke up on a beach with nothing, learned to knap stone tools, and worked their way up to taming, riding and breeding dinosaurs in a shared open world where rival tribes could raid everything they had built. The full release followed on 29 August 2017 across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and Wildcard kept expanding the world with the paid expansions Scorched Earth (2016), Aberration (2017), Extinction (2018), Genesis Part 1 (2020) and Genesis Part 2 (2021). A game of that scale was not built alone; Wildcard worked with co-development partners including Instinct Games in Egypt, Efecto Studios in Colombia and Virtual Basement in the United States. The studio's early success was shadowed by a lawsuit Trendy Entertainment filed against Wildcard and Stieglitz in December 2015 over non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, a dispute that settled in April 2016 on terms that were never disclosed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWildcard's business structure is closely tied to Snail. Snail Games USA has held an exclusive license to the ARK intellectual property since November 2015 and co-publishes the series, and Wildcard's parent company, SDE Inc., is controlled by the spouse of Snail founder Hai Shi. Sister studio Grapeshot Games took the same technology to sea with the pirate MMO ATLAS in 2018. The original ARK reached the end of its official-server life on 30 September 2023, when Wildcard retired the official servers and handed players their save data so they could host their own; single-player, non-dedicated and unofficial servers carry on unaffected, which is why the game remains very much playable today. The studio's attention has since shifted to ARK: Survival Ascended, an Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original co-developed with Grove Street Games and Instinct Games, which entered Steam Early Access on 25 October 2023 and received its ARK: Lost Colony expansion on 19 December 2025, while ARK II, announced in December 2020, is currently targeted for 2028. Jeremy Stieglitz was still speaking for the studio as co-founder at the end of 2025. At PJ's Games the Studio Wildcard collection carries ARK: Survival Evolved for PC on Steam alongside its Season Pass, the pairing that opens up the expansion maps beyond the original island.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"ark-survival-evolved-steam","title":"ARK: Survival Evolved","description":"\u003cp class=\"lead\"\u003eARK: Survival Evolved drops you onto the shore of a mysterious island with nothing but your bare hands and a strange implant in your arm. Dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roam the jungles, mountains and oceans around you, and every one of them is either a threat, a meal or a future mount. Studio Wildcard's open-world survival game asks you to hunt, harvest, craft and build your way from a lone survivor shivering by a campfire to the head of a tribe with an army of tamed creatures at its back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSurviving the Island\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ARK does not care whether you live. Hunger and thirst tick down with every action, weight slows you, and the day-night cycle and shifting weather push the temperature toward frostbite or heatstroke depending on where you have wandered. Berries and raw meat will keep you alive for a while, but real progress comes from fire, shelter, cooked food and clothing suited to the climate, all governed by a proper insulation system that separates a snug hut from a windswept cliff.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEverything you make is crafted from Blueprints with variable quality, and everything wears out with use. Experience earned by simply doing things levels your character and unlocks Engrams, permanent recipes you keep even after dying. Die you will, and when it happens your body and everything it was carrying stay where you fell, waiting to be recovered by you or looted by someone else. When you log out, your character sleeps in the persistent world, so a safe bed matters more than in most games.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eTame, Breed and Ride\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than 100 creatures can be tamed, and the process is the heart of the game. You weaken a wild animal until it collapses, then feed and guard it, sometimes for hours, until it wakes up loyal. From there each tame levels up, carries inventory and armor, follows commands, and in many cases can be saddled and ridden directly. A few examples of what that opens up:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFly a Pterodactyl over the snow-capped peaks to scout new territory, or use a larger flyer to lift allies and supplies straight over an enemy wall.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRun with a pack of Raptors through the jungle, or tromp through a rival base on the back of a Brontosaurus with a platform saddle strapped to its spine.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChase down prey from the saddle of a raging T-Rex, then bring the kill home on a beast of burden strong enough to carry a whole settlement's worth of resources.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTamed pairs can be mated, and their offspring inherit stats and colors through a genetic trait system that rewards patient breeders across generations. Eggs need incubating at the right temperature, mammals need gestation time, and babies of both kinds need feeding around the clock. Raising a line of superior Rexes is a project in itself, and one of the most satisfying in the game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBuild, Farm and Fortify\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChop down forests and mine metal to craft the parts for sprawling multi-level bases: foundations, ramps, pillars, windows, gates, trapdoors, water pipes, generators, wiring and a whole catalog of electrical devices. Structures use a real load system, so a base whose supports are destroyed will come down in pieces, and reinforcing it properly is worth the effort. Every wall, sign, weapon and piece of gear can be painted, so your tribe's base and colors become recognizable across the server.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFarming sits alongside the building. Gather seeds from the wild, plant them in crop plots, water them and feed them fertilizer (everything on the ARK produces compostable waste, and some of it is better than others). Crops feed you and your herbivore tames, and rare fruits go into recipes and tonics that push your stats when it counts. A vegetarian survivor can genuinely flourish here, and it is possible to conquer the ARK without ever swinging a blade at another player.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eTribes, Bosses and the Truth of the ARK\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eForm a Tribe with friends and everything becomes shared: tames answer to any member, respawns can happen at any tribe bed, and admins can hand out access to storage and gates. Whether your neighbors become allies or targets is entirely up to the people on the server. Knocking out and capturing rival survivors is a legitimate strategy, and so is feeding them to your carnivores.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe endgame lives at the Obelisks. Gather enough rare tribute items and you can summon one of the ARK's god-like creatures for a boss fight that demands an experienced tribe and a trained army of tames, with valuable progression items on the line. Along the way, collectible Explorer Notes left by survivors from across the millennia piece together the backstory of the island and hint at what the ARK actually is, and why you are on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWays to Play\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSingle-player and local sessions\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003ePlay alone in a private world with every server setting under your control, or host a non-dedicated session so a few friends can share your ARK. Characters and items can be moved between single-player and unofficial servers, so nothing you build has to stay in one place.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCommunity multiplayer\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eStudio Wildcard shut down the official ARK: Survival Evolved servers in September 2023, so the official network and its themed event ARKs are no longer available. Tens of thousands of player-hosted and unofficial community servers remain active, with persistent characters, bases and tames, and you can run a dedicated server of your own with the rules tuned however you like.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eMods and custom maps\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eFull Steam Workshop support and a customized Unreal Engine 4 editor have produced one of the deepest modding scenes in the survival genre, from quality-of-life tweaks to entire new maps and creatures. You can also generate your own Procedurally Generated ARKs for a fresh island whenever you want one.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBacked by dynamic lighting, volumetric clouds and a score by Ori and the Blind Forest composer Gareth Coker, the ARK is a place that rewards curiosity as much as caution. Light your first campfire, learn which creatures to run from and which to knock out, and start building the tribe that will one day stand at the foot of an Obelisk. The island is waiting to find out what you are made of.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Studio Wildcard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":28003052224598,"sku":"PC_3517168910422_DL_GL","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0875\/3268\/files\/card-ark-survival-evolved-pc-mac-steam-game.jpg?v=1789508835"},{"product_id":"ark-survival-evolved-season-pass-steam","title":"ARK: Survival Evolved Season Pass","description":"\u003ch2 class=\"product_h2\"\u003eAbout the Game\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooking to expand on your Ark: Survival Evolved gaming experience? The season pass gives you access to three huge expansion packs as well as exclusive cosmetic item skins only available to season pass holders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"product_h2\"\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdl class=\"key-features\"\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eARK: Scorched Earth - Expansion Pack\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eStranded naked, parched and starving in a vast desert, even seasoned ARK survivors must use all their skills to stand a chance of survival. Tame, breed, and ride the desert’s mysterious new creatures including... DRAGONS!\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eARK: Aberration - Expansion Pack\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eWaking up on 'Aberration', a derelict, malfunctioning ARK with an elaborate underground biome system, survivors face exotic new challenges unlike anything before: extreme radioactive sunlight and environmental hazards, ziplines, wingsuits, climbing gear, cave dwellings, charge-batteries, and far more, along with a stable of extraordinary new creatures await within the mysterious depths. But beware the 'Nameless': unrelenting, Element-infused humanoids which have evolved into vicious light-hating monstrosities! On Aberration, survivors will uncover the ultimate secrets of the ARKs, and discover what the future holds in store for those strong and clever enough to survive!\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eARK: Extinction - Expansion Pack\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eAn Element-infested, ravaged planet Earth filled with fantastical creatures both organic \u0026amp; technological holds both the secrets of the past and the keys to its salvation. Can you defeat the gigantic roaming Titans which dominate the planet, and complete the ARK cycle to save Earth's future?\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eThe Bulbdog Mask - Cosmetic Item\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eRepresenting the cheery demeanor of this loyal ward against the Nameless.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eThe Reaper Helmet - Cosmetic Item\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eDepicting the frightening visage of these dangerous behemoths that roam the Element-infused depths and irradiated surface of Aberration.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eThe Aberration Helmet - Cosmetic Item\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eFormed from the damaged ARK's obsidian-like underground rock, creates an imposing presence for Survivors who wear it.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eThe Aberration Sword - Cosmetic Item\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eForged from the Element Crystals that run within the deepest chambers of the ARK, emits a subtle glow to strike fear into your enemies.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e","brand":"Studio Wildcard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":28237890191446,"sku":"PC_AKSLEDSNPSSKEY_NEW","price":56.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0875\/3268\/products\/ARK-Survival-Evolved-Season-Pass-Windows-Mac-Linux-Steam-Download.jpg?v=1558647492"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.pjsgames.com\/en-de\/collections\/studio-wildcard.oembed","provider":"PJ's Games","version":"1.0","type":"link"}