Credit: Universal PicturesThe upcoming Jurassic Park sequel is shaping up to be a faithful adaptation of Michael Crichton’s original 1990 bestseller.
There are currently three Jurassic sequels in development, however, only one will reunite fans with the Jurassic Park era. For the last nine years, the IP has released content under the Jurassic World banner, but soon, it will be time to go back to where it all started.
“Jurassic Park: Survival” (TBA) is an upcoming first-person action-adventure video game that takes place during the aftermath of the events in the original 1993 film by director Steven Spielberg, based off the best-selling 1990 novel from Michael Crichton.
Only 24 hours later, to be precise.
The official website describes the game as “an original adventure 65 million years in the making” in which plays must “survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar.”
Check out the official trailer below, per Jurassic World YouTube:
Between the teaser and the official website, we know quite a bit about the title, which takes place on “a fully realized” re-creation of Isla Nublar. However, the trailer is mostly cinematic and teases only seconds of gameplay footage.
Now, Universal and Saber Interactive (publisher/developer) have shared exclusively with IGN an “internal Q&A” conducted with Universal Products & Experiences executive producer John Melchior and Saber Interactive creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick, revealing some new details about the game, including how it lines up more closely with Crichton’s novel.
In addition to featuring several iconic locations from the film (the Jurassic Park gates, etc.), Melchior and Hollis-Leick confirmed that “Survival” will allow players to explore never-before-seen parts of the island, while expanding upon the more familiar areas such as the Visitor Center.
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Official Sequel: Everything We Know
“We have been working with all our stakeholders on what the island would have looked like after the events of the film,” Melchior said.
While the game only takes place 24 hours later, in that time, several dinosaurs have escaped their enclosures and Isla Nublar has been battered left and right by a tropical storm. “This includes areas we all love like the Visitor’s Center and the T-Rex paddock,” he added. “But also, what we didn’t see, things that were not part of the tour or got cut off by the storm.”
Melchior then seems to hint at taking inspiration from the book, saying, “Those on the island [the characters] were supposed to be there overnight, so what does that mean? What would they have seen and where would they have stayed if everything went according to plan?”
In the book, Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, Ian Malcolm, and all the other guests stay at a hotel called the Safari Lodge (AKA Pteratops Lodge), which only exists “off-screen” in the 1993 film along with other locations such as the Pterosaur Aviary, the Jungle River Ride, and all the other remaining dinosaur enclosures they never got to see on the Jungle Explorer tour.
“That is where we are starting,” he promised. “One thing is certain — the island is as much a part of the story as the characters and dinosaurs.”
Related: All 4 Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park’/’Jurassic World’ Sequels Explained
Whether or not Saber Interactive intends to draw from Michael Crichton’s brilliant sci-fi page-turner, or “fill in the blanks” using creative liberties remains to be seen (the former would obviously be the most crowd-pleasing route).
The game may even retcon aspects of the film by reinstating elements of the book, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Either way, “Survival” will feature “horror” and “strong violence” with “intense science fiction terror with death and violence from dinosaurs against humans and against other dinosaurs,” which also lines up with Crichton’s darker vision.
The IGN exclusive even features some revealing new screenshots for the game, which also suggest a dark tone similar to that of the film and more so the book.
During the Q&A, Oliver Hollis-Leick spilled the beans on other aspects of the game, promising “new characters” and “special dinosaurs.” We previously speculated that “Survival” will feature other humans — perhaps Biosyn is trying to retrieve the Barbasol shaving can full of dinosaur embryos in the wake of Dennis Nedry’s catastrophic failure.
As for “special dinosaurs,” while the trailer only reveals familiar species such as the T-Rex, the Dilophosaurus, and the Velociraptor, it would hardly be surprising to see new dinosaurs show up. If Universal and Saber are using the original source material for inspiration, there are plenty of other genetically engineered predators within those pages waiting to be released from containment.
Related: ‘Jurassic World 4’ Everything We Know: Plot, Cast, Release Date, Trailer, and News
Universal and Saber have confirmed that the game won’t be released in 2024. For more information about “Jurassic Park: Survival”, visit the official website.
Jurassic Park, also referred to as Jurassic World, is a multi-media entertainment franchise whose six movies alone have grossed over $6B worldwide. A new sequel tentatively titled Jurassic World 4 (2025) is in development with Scarlett Johansson in the lead role.
In addition to the upcoming video game “Jurassic Park: Survival”, a third entry in the “Jurassic World Evolution” series is now in the works. A follow-up to the new Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024) has also been confirmed.
Jurassic Park/Jurassic World continues to produce new content across several forms of media while maintaining a strong presence in the Universal Studios theme parks with attractions such as Jurassic Park: The Ride, Jurassic World: The Ride, and VelociCoaster.
Meanwhile, the iconic franchise entertains guests of all ages from the stage, too, with Jurassic World: The Exhibition and Jurassic World: Live Tour.
Are you excited about “Jurassic Park: Survival”? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!