Fans of local co-op will be pleased to hear that online dino-survival game Ark: Survival Evolved will have split-screen co-operative play on the Xbox One.

The feature is not available in the current early access build, but will come in a patch in early 2016.

Only local split-screen – not online – will be available.

Speaking to GameSpot, Studio Wildcard co-founder Jess Rapczak said that while "many developers are abandoning split-screen local play, [the Ark team] couldn't stomach that!"

That the feature is debuting on the Xbox One represents a particular shiv at 343 Industries, whose recent Halo 5: Guardians eschewed local co-op – previously a mainstay of the Xbox-exclusive series.

Ark: Survival Evolved costs US$35 on the Xbox Game Preview programme; the Xbox One version also supports the use of the console as a server for up to and over 50 players.

The completed game is set for a mid-2016 release on new-gen consoles and PC.