Ark: Survival Ascended won't be releasing its newest map any time soon, but a new dinosaur has been unleashed instead

Raptors in Ark Survival Ascended
(Image credit: Studio Wildcard)

Ark: Survival Ascended was supposed to launch its newest map on February 28, but after evaluating how far development has come the launch has been inevitably delayed. 

In an update posted to Steam, the map called "The Center" has been postponed due to missing the mark compared to the team's expectations. The update reads: "We’ve made the decision to postpone the Center as it wasn’t on track to launch with the level of quality we require" with no alternative release date being offered as of yet. 

However, instead of leaving players empty-handed, a new dinosaur will be unleashed in the game on February 28 - the original date The Center was set to launch as the map and the species were intended to launch in tandem. Called the 'Gigantoraptor' the dinosaur is exactly what it says on the tin, offering a supersized version of one of Ark's most vicious killers. 

But, this dino won't kill on sight, unlike the other raptors you're bound to encounter during your adventure. Instead, it will only attack once its young are threatened. So, unless you're prepared to turn and run the second you've looted its nest, it's best to steer clear and just admire from a distance. 

Scorched Earth, a remake of the first DLC released for the first Ark game, is also scheduled to launch on April 1, so there's plenty of content coming up to sink your talons into despite the postponement of The Center. Hopefully, once these two significant launches have gone smoothly we receive another update on the map and a more concrete release date, but until then, it's survival as usual. 

We've got a list of all the best survival games if you're looking for other titles. Our guide to the best single-player games may also be of interest if you want to venture alone. 

Kara Phillips
Evergreen Writer

Kara is an Evergreen writer at TechRadar Gaming. With a degree in Journalism and a passion for the weird and wonderful, she's spent the last few years as a freelance video game journalist, with bylines at NintendoLife, Attack of the Fanboy, Prima Games, and sister publication, GamesRadar+. Outside of gaming, you'll find her re-watching Gilmore Girls or trying to cram yet another collectible onto a shelf that desperately needs some organizing.