Credit: Universal PicturesThe upcoming first-person action-adventure video game “Jurassic Park: Survival” has fans more excited than they were about this year’s theatrical entry, Jurassic World Rebirth.
The game takes place on Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 film, Jurassic Park. Players assume control of InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate the island. Now, she must face the island’s deadly prehistoric predators to survive.
The trailer premiered at the Game Awards in December 2023. Though mostly cinematic, the teaser features a brief look at some of the first-person gameplay, which looks heavily inspired by “Alien: Isolation” (2014), a comparison Jurassic fans have been making ever since. Watch the trailer below, per Jurassic World YouTube:
“Jurassic Park: Survival” — What We Know
Things went quiet on the “Survival” front for several months thereafter (hardly all that surprising in the world of gaming); however, last summer, Universal and Saber Interactive shared an internal Q&A with IGN, which revealed lots of new information about the game.
Universal Products & Experiences executive producer John Melchior and Saber Interactive creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick teased many things, from never-before-seen locations to gameplay mechanics, and the environment to some of the dinosaurs we can expect to see.
Among the species are several familiar ones from the 1993 film, as confirmed by the trailer. There’s Dilophosaurus, Velociraptor, Gallimimus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. From this, we can safely assume that Brachiosaurus, Parasaurolophus, and Triceratops will appear, too.
Dinosaurs That Will Appear in the Game
The Q&A was accompanied by a set of stunning screenshots from the game, which includes a rain-battered bunker, the Visitor Center’s movie theater, the T-Rex hunting in the jungle, and Dr. Maya Joshi being chased by a pack of Velociraptors on a river rapid.
While the trio of raptors is confusing considering the T-Rex kills two of them in the film, with the third getting locked in a freezer by Lex and Tim (although it’s revealed to have escaped in the trailer), what’s even more puzzling is the mentioning of “special dinosaurs.”
In response to a question about “special dinosaurs” that aren’t in the movie, Melchior cryptically said, “Life finds a way.” While we know nothing about these creatures, this will involve rewriting certain aspects of the 1993 film as they did not exist off-screen at the time.
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Official Sequel: Everything We Know
“Survival” Will Retcon Jurassic Park
With that said, where there is space to expand the original story, then it will likely be filled. The truth is that there’s a lot happening behind the scenes in 1993’s Jurassic Park, and if anything’s going to fill some of those blanks, it will, of course, be a direct sequel of all things.
Dr. Maya Joshi herself is such an example. While she’s been created specifically for the game, there are several InGen scientists and other employees in the film we don’t see. Many extras populate the background in the labs, but there are even more dotted about the island.
As for these “special dinosaurs,” though many fans will assume they’re genetic hybrids of some kind (the most popular go-to theory), they may turn out to be dinosaurs that have somehow “gone wrong” during the engineering process and, as such, look extra terrifying.
The game will likely also feature several other dinosaurs that didn’t appear in the film.
When Is “Jurassic Park: Survival” Out?
“Jurassic Park: Survival” will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There’s no release date for the game. Visit the official website for more information.
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