Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition For Switch Delayed Due To "Unprecedented Environmental Circumstances"

Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition for Nintendo Switch has been delayed due to "unprecedented environmental circumstances" in developer Studio Wildcard's home state in Redmond, Washington. Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest are taking a toll on the region with evacuation orders in effect for some localities. The game is developed by Grove Street Games in Gainesville, Florida, but Studio Wildcard has offices in both Washington and Florida.

The game was originally set to launch on October 25 but is now coming in "very early" November in North America and shortly thereafter in the EU.

The Ultimate Survivor Edition is an overhaul to Ark: Survival Evolved that promises to "vastly" improve the visual quality and performance of the game on Switch. Players can also expect reduced load times and a number of quality-of-life updates to improve the experience.

The game also comes with all previously released expansions, including the unfortunately titled Scorched Earth at launch. The Aberration, Extinction, and Genesis Parts 1 & 2 expansions will come later.

The game also boasts a Switch-exclusive mode called Dinosaur Discovery. Described as a child-friendly mode, Dinosaur Discovery has no violence and instead has players learning more about real dinosaurs.

This isn't the first time a video game's development has been affected by a natural disaster. Earlier this year, the developers of EA's Madden series--who are based in Florida--warned that content for Madden NFL 23 might be delayed due to Hurricane Ian.

Ark's Ultimate Survivor Edition was initially released last year across other platforms. A sequel, Ark 2, is in development now with Vin Diesel involved.