Ark: Survival Evolved is available to Xbox One owners through the Game Preview program. The good thing about Game Preview as opposed to Steam Early Access is that it allows you to trial the game. However, this presents some challenges. It’s pretty hard to level up in Ark but gamers who choose to try it first are placed in special servers that allows them to level up fast.
The developers behind Ark noticed that the servers were being flooded with trial users on Xbox One. In response they restructured the official servers so that only those who purchased the game would have access to them. Trial users will be split into their own special servers. The trial period for Ark lasts an hour so leveling up faster means that those individuals can experience more of the game and build more advanced structures and weapons.
I think this is a pretty good trade-off to alleviate crowded servers and give those who choose to try the game a great experience. I’m glad they came up with this solution rather than penalizing the trial group. It’s definitely a win-win situation for both.
Source: Attack of the Fanboy
Xian was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 162 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.