Ark: Surival Evolved rings in 2016 with giant, rideable kangaroos

Procoptodon
YouTube YouTube
Watch On

Studio Wildcard is dropping the New Year's Eve Ball in Ark: Survival Evolved, and when it touches down at midnight EST, everyone at the party will be given a “fantastic surprise.” But the real fun is the addition of a new creature called the Procoptodon, which is essentially a huge, prehistoric kangaroo with a gun in its pocket and look of perpetual annoyance on its face.

The largest of the real Procoptodon, according to Wikipedia, was P. goliah, which stood well over six feet tell and could weigh more than 500 pounds. The Ark version is even larger, capable of rapidly covering great heights and distances while carrying two passengers, one of whom—the one in the pouch, naturally—can make full use of all weapons while on the move. It's basically a drive-by-capable mega-marsupial, which as videogame ideas go isn't the worst I've ever heard.

The update also adds a new Tribe Alliances option to the game, enabling multiple tribes to officially band together to take on larger, more powerful outfits. Full details on the update (although between the dropping ball and the dino-roo, we've pretty much covered it all) are available on Steam. Speaking of which, Ark: Survival Evolved is currently on sale for 40 percent off—that's $18/£14—as part of the Steam Winter Sale, which runs until January 4.

Procoptodon

Procoptodon

Procoptodon

Procoptodon

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in MMO
A forester from Old School Runescape, contemplating life next to his pheasant friend on a green field.
You can finally try out Old School RuneScape’s first new skill in nearly two decades right now
Ghoul in sunglasses
After years of playing as stupid, boring humans in Fallout, you can finally channel your inner Walton Goggins and become a ghoul in Fallout 76
WoW Classic: Season of Discovery
World of Warcraft Classic’s Season of Discovery may be teasing a legendary weapon that players have speculated is in the game for two decades
Gallywix wears an uneasy smile as he's confronted by Xal'atath in WoW: The War Within.
After 12 days and 100s of wipes, World of Warcraft's latest world first raid ends in anticlimax: 'That's the boss?!?'
A goblin with sharp teeth, wearing goggles, lets out a mischievous cackle in WoW's latest patch: Undermine(d).
The hooligan hacker guild that tore up WoW's newest raid (twice) just posted video evidence of the whole thing, and it's got me feeling weirdly nostalgic
Dune Awakening
Dune Awakening's latest trailer offers a glimpse of its massive coriolis storms, which reshape swathes of the map each week for 'infinite exploration'
Latest in News
Minthara BG3 looking upset
Another round of Baldur's Gate 3 unearthing reveals Minthara can end up living in a sewer, an unused beach ending, and more
A shirtless man rides a big fish underwater
Ark devs distance themselves from AI-generated trailer: 'we did not know that they were doing it'
Team Fortress Spy being shocked
An FPS studio pulled its game from Steam after it got caught linking to malware disguised as a demo, but the dev insists it was actually the victim of a labyrinthine conspiracy
Neighbors Suburban Warfare screenshot a child aims a slingshot at a man from across a cul-de-sac.
A beta of backyard FPS Neighbors: Suburban Warfare is out now, and the balance discussion is hysterical: nerf trash can lids and children
Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer still - woman in the front seat of a car, looking out the back window while holding a wad of cash
The specter of a GTA 6 delay haunts the games industry: 'Some companies are going to tank' if they guess wrong, says analyst
Screenshot from Wreckfest 2
Wreckfest 2 has hit early access for your car-obliterating combat racing enjoyment