Credit: Universal PicturesThe Jurassic Park franchise has never stopped evolving. Since Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic, the series has expanded far beyond the big screen and into some of the most immersive entertainment experiences.
At Universal Studios resorts worldwide, visitors can brave the likes of Jurassic World: The Ride and VelociCoaster. Meanwhile, Jurassic World: The Experience is thrilling fans at Battersea Power Station in London, and another interactive experience of the same name, also powered by NEON, is wowing guests at Singapore’s Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay.
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A New Jurassic Park Experience Is Coming
While these attractions have brought guests close to the dinosaurs, or as the exhibition in Battersea puts it, “The Closest You’ll Ever Come to Living Dinosaurs”, the next Jurassic experience will take fans of the franchise even deeper — into the original 1993 park itself.
That’s exactly what “Jurassic Park: Survival” promises to do. The highly anticipated first-person action-adventure video game from Universal and Saber Interactive was first revealed at The Game Awards in December 2023, and it has generated enormous buzz as the first Jurassic Park game to fully re-create Isla Nublar as a living, breathing environment.
The trailer was mostly cinematic, teasing only snippets of gameplay footage at the end; however, a recent behind-the-scenes featurette released during the summer gave us an even closer look at the game, revealing both familiar and not-so-familiar man-made facilities and jungle environments, dinosaurs such as Dilophosaurus and T-Rex, and the lead character Dr. Maya Joshi (played by Payal Mistry) in action as she fights to stay alive on the island.
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What’s It About?
“Survival” takes place just 24 hours after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), so Isla Nublar is essentially frozen in time, leaving players to pick up where the film left off. Joshi is an InGen scientist stranded on the island following the evacuation, and she must use her ingenuity and all the resources available to her to outlast the island’s deadly prehistoric inhabitants.
The official blurb for the game reads:
“Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making.
Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story.
Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.”
So, survival is the goal, but unlike previous Jurassic titles (namely the “Jurassic World Evolution” series, whose third entry recently hit shelves), this isn’t about building parks or managing dinosaurs — it’s about living in one and doing your best to avoid being eaten.
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Developers Have Re-created Isla Nublar In Its Entirety
To further immerse players, developers have re-created key locations from the original film, including the legendary Visitor Center, the sprawling maintenance tunnels beneath the island, and even a partially functional resort hotel designed for guests who never arrived.
Gameplay footage shown in the featurette also teases an in-game map, suggesting the world on offer is much bigger than we’d imagined. With the official website stating that “Survival” features “a fully-realized Isla Nublar,” it seems the game will most likely lean into a sandbox environment more akin to open-world titles than a typical level-based gaming experience.
When Is “Jurassic Park: Survival” Out?
From the scale of its environments to its meticulous attention to the details of InGen’s failed paradise, “Survival” looks set to deliver the most authentic Isla Nublar experience since the original film. The park gates are open once again and the 1993 tour is far from over.
The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There’s no release date.
Are you excited about the new Jurassic Park game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!