Studio Wildcard says Vin Diesel played over a thousand hours of Ark: Survival Evolved

Aside from appearing in Ark II, he’s also an EP

Not only is Vin Diesel acting in Ark II – a wonderfully bewildering revelation from The Game Awards last week – he’s also an executive producer on the sequel, and he’s apparently a big fan of Ark in general.

According to Studio Wildcard CEO Doug Kennedy, Diesel is an “accomplished gamer who has played 1000s of hours of Ark: Survival Evolved.” I will never, under any circumstances, unlearn this fact.

“I’m having a lot of fun playing Ark and also really excited to join the Studio Wildcard team to develop the story both in-game and in the new animated series,” Diesel said in a press release. Kennedy added that “he understands the game intimately and is providing direct feedback to the development process.”

Shedding a bit more light on Diesel’s character, the actor is playing Santiago, “a full rendered hero protagonist” – though it’s worth noting that Ark II is still going to be an “online multiplayer sandbox.”

I’m curious to see how this all pans out. Ark II is far from Diesel’s first appearance in a major video game (and I’m sure he’s cleared the thousand-hour mark in other games too), but the role is a head-turner.

Ark II will be a PC and “Xbox Series X/S console launch exclusive” in 2022.