If you’ve ever wanted to run a world-class theme park filled with deadly prehistoric dinosaurs, you won’t have long to wait. At the recently concluded Frontier Expo in London, the Jurassic World Evolution developers revealed more details about their upcoming prehistoric park management sim, including information about the game’s objectives and some great dinosaur footage rendered using the in-game engine.
Drawing on the success of Planet Coaster (and undoubtedly using some of the same foundations), you’ll be running a dinosaur amusement park, so in addition to creating new creatures in your lab, you need to manage your attractions and draw in new visitors. With Evolution, Frontier promises to deliver the “core fantasy that’s in the movie.”
When the game was announced back in August, Jonny Watts, Frontier’s Chief Creative Officer, said, “We’re excited to bring over fifteen years of management, simulation, and creature development expertise to a destination and franchise that remains an inspiration to us.”
While the announcement trailer used pre-rendered footage, this reveal shows the dinos in their environments using the in-game engine. Universal Pictures worked with the developers and provided access to the ILM 3D files from the films, allowing Frontier to alter the detail level to work in the game.
The career mode spans five islands, each one presenting some unique challenges. You can choose to specialize in Entertainment, Science, or Security (or a mixture of the three). You’ll also have to contend with the occasional disaster, such as tropical storms, earthquakes, or disease outbreaks.
Entertainment, of course, is all about packing in as many people as possible and keeping them entertained. For Science, undertake research expeditions and educational pursuits about the dinosaurs in their natural habitats. The Security specialty revolves around a park showcasing the world’s most dangerous dinosaurs … and really, what could go wrong there?
As you develop your park, you’ll also endeavor to fill up the “Ingen Database,” a repository for information not just about dinosaurs, but also about the Jurassic Park franchise itself, lore that’s sure to delight avid fans of the series. Discover DNA by sending dig teams to archaeological sites, and even bioengineer new dinosaur attractions for your park.
If you’d like to check out the entire Jurassic World Evolution presentation from Frontier Expo, it’s available on its TwitchTV stream (jump to about the 20-minute mark). Evolution will be available in summer 2018 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
