Inside the Creation of the Newest Story Trailer for Ark: Survival Ascended

A few weeks ago during The Game Awards, Snail Games and Player One Trailers debuted a new story trailer for the recently released Ark: Survival Ascended remaster that was shot entirely using in-engine gameplay with the help of real players.

Designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia among veteran Survivors, Snail Games set out to create a visual narrative that would highlight the adventure of players who have helped shaped Ark over the past eight years. Not only in-game adventures and triumphs, but the unique stories that have emerged from the community, reinforcing the impact that individuals can have in shaping these virtual worlds. It’s more than just a game — it’s a living, evolving community of storytellers and adventurers.

“It was incredibly important to us that we captured the essence of Ark that people fell in love with,” explains Director of Player One Trailers Gage Allen.long with the rest of his team, approached the project understanding what the Ark franchise means to its current fan base. From concept to completion, they managed all gameplay capture, writing, directing, and more to deliver a thrilling trailer.

For us, it was important to have a promo that highlights the work of our developers at Studio Wildcard. At the core of this endeavor is the seamless integration of cutting-edge technology, specifically the advanced graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5. This piece serves as a canvas, displaying the technical innovation and artistic expertise of our developers, elevating the world players have come to know. Player One Trailers were an ideal fit to capture the essence of advanced graphics, given their existing expertise in creating in-game story trailers.

“There were a number of in-game things that were helpful when making this trailer,” Allen explains. “One is just how incredible the game looks. The visuals are stunning. We captured the trailer on max settings, and it was almost shocking to see how global illumination and the various features in UE5 brought a whole other layer to Ark.” Allen’s inspiration stemmed from the release of the Unreal Engine 5 remaster, featuring the iconic first map, The Island.

The featured trailer narrates the journey of a Survivor waking up on The Island, eliciting the trials and tribulations of a first-time experience. It authentically portrays the familiar sights, creatures, and character progression cherished by Ark enthusiasts, all while spotlighting the enhancements introduced by Unreal Engine 5. Every frame of the trailer was shot entirely in-game by Player One Trailers, emphasizing a dedication to delivering an immersive and genuine experience.

“After writing, directing, and capturing game trailers for over a decade now, balancing the need for scripted moments and those that happen by sheer chance has by far been the best method of extracting the best possible results, at least for me. It also recreates that feeling of discovery that almost seems to come through with the final footage,” Allen added.

“I hope they see it as a love-letter to the world of Ark and the journey we all started on many years ago, the same journey that many are starting on for the first time now with Ascended,” Allen says. “My hope for those watching that aren’t familiar with the game is that it gets them intrigued enough to step into the shoes of the main character in the trailer and see how they fare, to unravel the mystery of The Island and experience the feeling that made me fall in love with Ark all those years ago.”

You can experience the world of Ark: Survival Ascended today for Xbox Series X|S and Windows.