Usually, when there’s some sort of transformation from mod to stand-alone game, it’s for a major title. You don’t expect something like that to happen for an indie game like ARK: Survival Evolved, but it just did. ARK: Survival of the Fittest is now a free, standalone game on Early Access .
ARK: Survival of the Fittest is set up as an eSports, multiplayer arena sort of game. You can go online alone or as part of a two, four, or six person Tribe, head to Ranked and player-hosted servers, and try to survive. Over 75 creatures will be available at launch, with additional ones and environments to be released, and there’ll be tournaments. In fact, after each month, the top 10 Ranked players in the four modes will get over $50,000 as part of the Survivor League .
Also, it is absolutely, completely free. There’s no monetization. However, you can win free cosmetic items for characters based on your performance. This is not only a great idea for people who want another free game to try, but for those who’ve been curious about ARK: Survival Evolved and haven’t purchased it yet. It’s a taste of that experience!
Source: Steam