Studio Wildcard
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | October 2014 |
| Founder | Doug Kennedy, Jesse Rapczak, Jeremy Stieglitz, Susan Browning Stieglitz |
| Headquarters | Redmond, Washington and Gainesville, Florida , United States |
Key people | Doug Kennedy (CEO), Vin Diesel (executive producer and president of creative convergence) |
| Products | Ark: Survival Evolved, Ark: Survival of the Fittest, Ark: Survival Ascended, Ark II, Atlas (via Grapeshot Games) |
Number of employees | 60 (2016) |
| Parent | SDE Inc. (affiliate of Snail Games USA) |
Wildcard Properties, LLC, operating under the name Studio Wildcard, is a U.S.-based video game development company with locations in Redmond, Washington, and Gainesville, Florida. Established in October 2014 by Doug Kennedy, Jesse Rapczak, Jeremy Stieglitz, and Susan Browning Stieglitz, the firm launched its first title, Ark: Survival Evolved, in August 2017. In 2018, Studio Wildcard created Grapeshot Games to work on Atlas, a pirate-themed massively multiplayer online game. A follow-up installment, Ark II, was revealed in December 2020.
History
Jeremy Stieglitz co-founded Trendy Entertainment in 2009 but departed in August 2014 following internal conflicts and agreed to a one-year non-compete clause. Soon after, he teamed up with Kennedy, Rapczak, and Susan Browning Stieglitz to form Studio Wildcard, with Kennedy taking on the role of CEO. Although incorporated in Florida, the company kept operational offices near Seattle.
In December 2015, Snail Ark Inc., a subsidiary under SDE Inc., merged into Studio Wildcard. This restructuring positioned SDE Inc., an affiliate of the Chinese company Snail Games USA, as the parent organization.
Later that month, Trendy Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Stieglitz and Studio Wildcard alleging violation of the non-compete agreement and employee recruitment related to Ark: Survival Evolved development. The suit demanded $600 million in damages and sought to prevent Studio Wildcard from releasing further games. Studio Wildcard contested these allegations by stating the non-compete period had lapsed and that Ark targeted a distinct audience. The dispute was resolved with a $40 million settlement in April 2016.
By early 2016, Studio Wildcard's workforce numbered approximately 60 employees distributed between Bellevue and Gainesville offices. After an extended early access phase, Ark: Survival Evolved officially launched in August 2017. The studio also provided design and technical assistance for Snail Games' voxel-based derivative title PixArk (2018).
At The Game Awards 2018, Studio Wildcard announced Atlas, developed by its sister company Grapeshot Games to prevent disruption to ongoing Ark development efforts. The sequel Ark II was introduced at The Game Awards 2020 with actor Vin Diesel joining as executive producer and holding the title "president of creative convergence."
In October 2023, Studio Wildcard enabled the re-release of the MMO Myth of Empires by Angela Game after resolving a legal conflict concerning alleged source code misappropriation.
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Ark: Survival Evolved | Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S |
| Ark: Survival of the Fittest | PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S | |
| 2023 | Ark: Survival Ascended | PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S |
| 2025 | Ark 2 | Template:TBA |