Credit: Universal PicturesIt’s easy to forget that Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking blockbuster classic, Jurassic Park (1993), is based on a book. The same can be said for The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997).
But Michael Crichton’s two best-selling novels, Jurassic Park and The Lost World, published in 1990 and 1995, respectively, are the true foundation of the long-running film series.
However, it’s fair to say the films have gotten away from themselves since the 1997 sequel, which became even more obvious last year with the latest entry, Jurassic World Rebirth (2025).
That sequel might have grossed $869.1 million worldwide, but it received mostly negative reviews from fans and critics. But one of the very few positives in the seventh Jurassic entry is that it borrows elements from Crichton’s first novel — namely the T. rex river sequence.
Future Jurassic projects may wish to rely even more on the books, especially given how the film series’ weakest entries are those that aren’t derived from any source material.
Fortunately, the next installment is turning to the original 1993 film and the bestseller it’s based on, to recreate the wonder and terror of Isla Nublar’s ill-fated theme park resort.
Jurassic Park: Survival
Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA), an upcoming single-player, first-person, action-adventure title from Saber Interactive, takes place just 24 hours after the events of the 1993 film.
As such, the developers have recreated the island and the park as they appear on screen (post-dinosaur breakout). But they’re also building the parts of Isla Nublar we never saw.
Watch the official announcement trailer for the game below:
Players will assume the role of Dr. Maya Joshi (voiced and performed in motion capture by British actress Payal Mistry), an InGen scientist who has failed to evacuate the island with her co-workers and must now find ways to survive the park’s deadly prehistoric inhabitants.
While we wait for the next announcement for the game — preferably the release date or at the very least a release window — Saber and Universal teased plenty last year through a behind-the-scenes video that touches upon gameplay, dinosaur interactions, character design, environment creation, iconic locations, and never-before-seen parts of the island.
Among those previously unseen locations are a hotel, underground bunkers, attractions, and dinosaur enclosures that didn’t appear in the film.
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Films Won’t Be Returning to Theaters, Will Continue on the Small Screen
Jurassic Park: Survival Expands the 1993 Story
The teams at Saber and Universal explained in the featurette that “not only do you get to re-experience all of the incredible locations from the film, but because Jurassic Park: Survival is designed in game format, [it] gives you more time to explore new locations.”
You can watch the full video below:
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Releasing Official Never-Before-Seen Version of 1993 Film
“It’s really exciting to be able to translate this incredible film into a video game because you really have the opportunity to go much deeper into the film,” Jurassic World Project Executive Lisa St Amand says in the video.
She continues: “We worked really closely with our partners and with Amblin and our filmmakers to make sure that we’re capturing the island and all the dinosaurs in really great detail.”
“There’s lots of facilities, there’s lots of buildings, there’s lots of attractions that are under construction, there’s a hotel under construction,” Universal Products & Experiences executive producer John Melchior adds. “So fans are going to see things they only wish they saw.”
The Game Salvages Elements From the Source Material
While the team frequently cites the 1993 film as its reference in building the game, many of those unseen parts of Nublar, like the hotel and the bunkers, originate in Crichton’s novel.
This means that Survival also adapts unused elements from the 1990 book. The book hasn’t been mentioned in any of the promotional material yet, but the source material spends a great deal of time in areas that were omitted from Jurassic Park (1993).
As the game even recreates several iconic sequences from the big screen, it could also be viewed as a “soft reboot” of the 1993 film.
Jurassic Park: Survival Synopsis and Platforms
Jurassic Park: Survival will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
“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,” the official synopsis for the game reads.
It continues: “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.”
Are you excited about the new Jurassic Park game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!