Ark: Survival Evolved development studio has come under fire from fans for releasing a premium expansion pack while the game is still in Early Access.
The DLC in question, Scorched Earth, is described by the studio as the game's biggest update ever with an entire new map, weapons, resources and ecosystems. The premium expansion retails for $19.99 which angered fans who took issue with the fact that the studio took resources from the still-unfinished main game in order to develop paid-for content.
As soon as the DLC was announced, the game's page on Steam got bombarded with negative reviews and complaints.
"Ripping people off by not even finishing making the game we spent our money to fund and then charging for a DLC while its still in Early Access. I feel like they should refund the people who bought the original game because this is just ridiculous," reads one review.
At the time of writing all the most recent reviews for the game are negative and its "most recent" rating is "mostly negative" while its "overall rating" remains "mostly positive."
While the most recent (8,500+) reviews are mostly negative, there are some fans who believe that the community is overreacting.
"You bought a game, not stock in the company. You'd rather they spent time finishing the game instead of working on expansions?" argues one such fan. "Tough. Unless you're a shareholder, you should have no expectation of having any say over the development road map."