Category: Video Games

Universal Announces New Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom License Partners Including Funko and More!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Universal Pictures announced new license partners and further elaborated on their plans for Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom at Brand Licensing Europe 2017 today. While it was announced last year that Mattel had acquired the master license from Hasbro, LEGO maintaining their involvement was only corroborated by leaks, but this press release confirmed that and much more.

Most excitingly, the announcement confirmed the addition of FUNKO as a partner. Yes, it seems likely Jurassic Park Pop! Vinyls are on their way. Read the press release below (Via Toynews-Online):

Universal Brand Development has announced the global merchandising program for Jurassic Word sequel, The Fallen Kingdom, with toys hitting retail in Spring 2018.

Master global toy partner Mattel and LEGO Systems will lead the retail roll-out with toys across a variety of play patterns and age segments, additional toy, role play and costume licensees supporting the second film include Funko, Build-A-Bear, Rubies, Wowee and more.

“The Jurassic World franchise has always had huge cross-generational family appeal, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom promises to be one of the biggest movie and merchandising events of 2018,” said Vince Klaseus, president of Universal Brand Development.

“Following the success of 2015, we’ve been hard at work to build out the largest Jurassic World program to-date to meet the increasing demands from fans, as well as reach new audiences around the world – demonstrating the global appeal of this 365 mega-franchise.”

Master global toy partner Mattel and LEGO Systems will lead the retail roll-out with toys across a variety of play patterns and age segments, additional toy, role play and costume licensees supporting the second film include Funko, Build-A-Bear, Rubies, Wowee and more.

“This will be a focused UK campaign with opportunities to maximise the popularity of the franchise throughout 2018, starting with a focus on the classic movie and moving into activity for the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, followed by back to school and subsequently the DVD release,” said Hannah Mungo, country director UK & Ireland Consumer Products at NBC Universal Brand Development.

Toynews International also covered the announcement, providing further details:

Other multi-tiered and cross-category licensees involve Apparel and home/décor (H&M, Freeze, 5th Sun, Issac Morris, GBG, Fast Forward and Franco), Food, beauty and stationary/expressions (Kelloggs, Ferrero, Jelly Belly, PEZ, GBG Beauty, Party City, Innovative Designs, DecoPac and American Greetings) and Gaming and digital – [including the] recently debuted Jurassic World Evolution from Frontier Development, with additional gaming titles and platforms from other partners to be announced soon

Yes, you read that right – additional gaming titles will be announced soon! Could the long anticipated, on-again off-again, Jurassic World Survivor still be extant and waiting to be announced? Time will tell! As for the other brands, Kellogs is making a return, so expect more fruit snacks – and of course Fifth Sun will continue to bring fun Jurassic graphic tee’s to market. We previously covered PEZ as a partner, but it’s great to see some official recognition within this information drop.

Overall, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom is shaping up to be a huge global event that will bring tons of cool products to store shelves and our homes. You better start saving money, because between Mattel, LEGO, and now Funko, it will be hard to do anything but spare no expense. Don’t think you have much time to save either – while Fallen Kingdom merch hits shelves April 16th, Jurassic Park 25th anniversary will likely kick off this January!

Funko Pop Stranger Things assortment

Stay tuned: today marks the first day of BLE 2017, and it’s possible some of these great new products may be on display and announced as the show kicks off! And as always, be sure to sound off in the comments below and let us know what you want to see from new partners such as Funko!

Source: Toynewsi, Toynews-online

All the Dinosaurs Revealed in Jurassic World Evolution So Far

Posted on by Chris Pugh

You’ve no doubt seen the trailers, and read the latest gameplay details for Jurassic World Evolution – but just what dinosaurs were on display, and what can we glean from their visual depiction? Take a walk through the park and learn all about the dinosaurs in the upcoming Jurassic World game – did you spot them all?

Ankylosaurus

First seen in Jurassic Park 3, this iconic armored herbivore received a makeover for Jurassic World. The version on display in Evolution reflects the latest design, and it remains unseen if the Jurassic Park iteration will also make an appearance.

Apatosaurus

First introduced in Jurassic World, this Sauropod grows up to 90 feet long and tends to travel in herds with various other herbivore dinosaurs. While the Apatosaurus was not in the in-game trailer, it was part of the CG announcement.

Brachiosaurus

The iconic gentle giant of Jurassic Park returns in her original glory. The most recognizable Sauropod of the franchise towers over the other animals of park, reaching heights well over 30 feet. Brachiosaurus was absent in the fourth Jurassic film, and while it made an appearance in Jurassic Park 3, it looked quite different.

Camarasaurus

Blink and you’ll miss it! Did you catch the third Sauropod featured in Jurassic World Evolution? Unlike the other two, Camarasaurus has never been featured in a Jurassic Park film, however it did make an appearance in Jurassic Park Operation Genesis. As such, we know little about this dinosaur – it seems to be taller than an Apatosaurus, but much shorter than a Brachiosaurus. Though it sports a similar look to the latter dinosaur, it has a distinctive dewlap under the throat.

Note: the exact species remains unconfirmed, but visual evidence supports the our indentification.

Parasaurlophus

Perhaps the most consistent design in the Jurassic Park franchise, the Parasaurlophus sports the look seen in The Lost World and Jurassic World. Parasaurlophus has appeared in every film in the franchise so far.

Stegosaurus

The Stegosaurus has returned! While it was first introduced in The Lost World, the version in the game features the controversial Jurassic World redesign with a drooping tail and beakless mouth.

Triceratops

Beautiful, majestic, dangerous. Triceratops has been seen in every Jurassic film, and while it did see design changes in Jurassic World, it has remained mostly visually consistent. The design in Evolution seems to pull from the 3D model of Jurassic World, while borrowing the colors of Jurassic Park. Triceratops is expected to return in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom sporting this design.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

The panel featured “Rexy” in render form, the iconic T.rex from both Jurassic Park and Jurassic World in all her glory. However, the trailer design seems to stray from both films, featuring deeper and more pronounced scales and scutes, but her skeletal structure borrows from the Jurassic World redesign.

One would be forgiven in thinking this design was not “Rexy”, but a brand new variant if it weren’t for the clear identifying scars she has received from fighting the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park. Perhaps the render and trailer Tyrannosaurs are different variants? It is also worth noting that neither the render nor trailer feature movie accurate colors.

Velociraptor

The Velociraptors seen in the Jurassic World Evolution trailer are probably the most interesting visual depictions – the Velociraptors of the Jurassic Park franchise have been the most varied, and arguably, the most iconic. Jurassic Park introduced the first female version, with their male tiger striped counterparts appearing alongside them in The Lost World. Jurassic Park 3 featured a separate ‘tribe’ of Raptors, with the quilled and stripped males, and beige colored females. Jurassic World featured 4 unique Velociraptors: Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo.

While the raptors in Evolution seem to reflect the design of Delta, we have been told they are actually unique and not indicative of any of the ‘characters’ from Jurassic World. It’s been hinted the design may vary by how you excavate and reassemble the DNA – however, could this green look be indicative of the Raptors in Fallen Kingdom?

Be sure to check out our comprehensive breakdown of the Jurassic World gameplay, watch the trailer, and view the glorious direct feed screenshots here!

Stay tuned – we’ve partnered with The Gaming Beaver to bring you news direct from Frontier Expo, and will have an developer interview video in the coming days.

First In-Game Jurassic World Evolution Footage Roars Online!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Welcome to Isla Matanceros

Jurassic World Evolution takes place among the Muertes Archipelago, aka The Five Deaths – as well as the iconic Isla Nublar. Frontier Developments lifted the veil on Jurassic World Evolution at Frontier Expo, talking the exciting gameplay mechanics, showing off screenshots, and shared footage from the game set on the aforementioned Isla Matanceros!

Check out the trailer below and read on for the very exciting details:

The game looks absolutely beautiful – and the way you play it sounds incredibly exciting. Frontier Developments wanted to capture the themes of Jurassic Park, and as such, have three different ongoing mission contracts: Entertainment, Security, and Science. Each of these contracts come from characters who want different things from the park, and while you can work for all three and achieve balance, you can also choose to allocate your resources to one singular playstyle.

Entertainment is all about embracing the dream of John Hammond, and is all about achieving a sense of wonder in the park. Security is risk/reward system all about making the most dangerous dinosaurs possible, and containing them appropriately. Finally, science is nature: understanding the dinosaurs as they were, and letting life find a way.

Managing the park is marked with unique challenges: dinosaurs can get sick, they can breakout, and they can kill one another. You are left managing a living breathing ecosystem that constantly evolves as you play. Many environmental factors come into play: each island offers a unique ecosystem, and much like Jurassic Park, factors such as dangerous storms can threaten the park and offer fun gameplay challenges.

Jurassic World Evolution has a deep lore system, which plays into the “InGen Database” above. Every detail has been carefully researched, and will lead to an experience super fans are sure to love. Choose and learn about your digsites for Dino DNA, raise the dinosaurs from the incubation stage, and dive deep into the science. Gameplay and and story interweave organically in Jurassic World Evolution.

Frontier Developments have worked closely with Universal Pictures to ensure entirely accurate Jurassic World dinosaurs – and as such have been given access to the ILM 3D files and simply altered their level of detail to work in their gameplay engine! It certainly shows in phenomenal renders above – it’s great to finally see a high budget Jurassic game with film accurate dinosaurs.

Stay tuned for more! We have teamed up with The Gaming Beaver who is at Frontier Expo right now, and will be bring us unique video content from the show floor! This article will be updated with more precisie details and high-res screen shots as they are available.

Jurassic World Evolution releases Summer 2018 for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.

Jurassic World almost had a second hybrid dinosaur, and we finally have pictures!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Ah, hybrids. Love them or hate them, you can’t help but be a bit fascinated by their rocky history in the lead-up to Jurassic Park 4. At a very strange point in time, Jurassic Park 4 nearly had dinosaur human hybrids that wielded weapons – thankfully, that idea was quickly abandoned. Jurassic World of course brought the hybrid idea to life with the Indominus Rex, but believe it or not, she almost shared the screen with another fictional chimera.

Enter the Stegoceratops.

Many of you probably already know this weird dinosaur was almost in Jurassic World. It had not one, not two, but three toys, made an appearance in Dr. Wu’s secret lab, and was featured in Jurassic World the Game by Ludia. When it first appeared at Toy Fair 2015, Hasbro claimed it was a fictional creation by their team – but when the movie came out, it became clear there was much more to the story.

Information and images of its role in Jurassic World have remained elusive, but finally some HD concept renders had surfaced thanks to artist Bodin Sterba!

Bodin didn’t have much to say about the Stegoceratops on his blog post, other than it was cut from the film – however, we have heard the scene involved Owen and Claire stumbling upon an adult and juvenile in the wild. Claire expresses her surprise, saying she didn’t know this dinosaur was on the island, and the Stegoceratops charges Owen as he gets too close to the infant. However, some of those specifics remain unconfirmed for now – perhaps more art will surface and tell the story in time!

If you’re wondering why the Stegoceratops was cut from the film, you can thank Colin Trevorrow’s son. Speaking to Empire Magazine in 2015, he had this to say:

“In an earlier draft there was a scene where Chris [Pratt] and Bryce [Dallas Howard] come across another hybrid in the jungle. It informed them that Dr. Wu has been making other hybrids under her nose. Then my six-year-old son watched Return Of The Jedi, and said to me, ‘Dad, if Leia is also a Jedi that means that Luke isn’t unique.’ It was like, ‘Ha! Okay.’ And for some reason I applied that to this other thing and felt like there could be only one [hybrid dinosaur]. The idea that there was more than one made it feel less like the one synthetic among all the other organics, and suddenly it seemed entirely wrong to have it in the movie. I suddenly hated the idea but the toy still exists as a kind of remnant because Hasbro toys are locked a year out.”

I have mixed feelings about the Stegoceratops. I’ve been over hybrids before they were even featured formally, and while I dig the Indominus design, I feel this one is a little too outlandish. I loved the 1998 Jurassic Park toy line Chaos Effect, but I never wanted to see crazy dino hybrids like that in the films.

However, the oddness of seeing Stegosaurus plates and spikes on a Ceratopsian aside, I really like the design. While many assumed the dinosaur was part Triceratops, the design is wholly Nasutoceratops inspired. Remove the hybridized features, and this dinosaur would fit right in the roster of classic animals roaming Isla Nublar – it looks majestic, and oozes that prehistoric Jurassic charisma.

Are you happy the movie did not include additional hybrid dinosaurs, and are you a fan of the Stegoceratops design? Be sure to sound off in the comments below, and stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: Bodin Sterba Design

New Concept Art from Jurassic World Evolution!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

We’re all concept art fans here – there is just something entirely captivating about seeing something go from concept to creation, which is why we always want to see more. We’re driven by the ever present curiosity of how things changed during development, what brought it to life, and of course, the desire to see some nice artwork. Ultimately, we’re Dr. Grant asking “How did you do this?” and waiting for John Hammond to say “I’ll show you.”

Jurassic World Evolution is a video game releasing alongside Fallen Kingdom in Summer 2018 – and unless you’ve been off the grid, you’ve seen the trailer and read all about it. Just in case you have not, we’ve included all the details you could ever need below, including the trailer.

Jurassic World Evolution evolves players’ relationship with the Jurassic World film franchise, placing them in control of operations on the legendary island of Isla Nublar and the surrounding islands of the Muertes Archipelago. Players will build their own Jurassic World as they bioengineer new dinosaur breeds and construct attractions, containment and research facilities. Every choice leads to a different path and spectacular challenges arise when ‘life finds a way.’

Jurassic World Evolution releases Summer 2018 on Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC

To bring the trailer to life, Frontier Developments teamed up with Realtime UK to produce the epic pre-rendered feature. Realtime are a talented VFX company who have worked on numerous TV, Film, and Game projects. Courtesy of the Realtime Instagram page, we have the first beautiful concept art images of Jurassic World Evolution!

[Images removed at the request of RealtimeUK]

That Tyrannosaurus looks ferocious and terrifying – and yet, entirely awesome. We cannot wait to learn more about this game, and of course hope to see more artwork from both Frontier and Realtime in the future!

As always, stay tuned for the latest news, and sound off in the comments below. Thanks to SciFied for the heads up!

Source: Realtime UK Instagram

Jurassic World Evolution takes place on Isla Nublar and the surrounding islands of the Muertes Archipelago!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Yesterday’s announcement of Jurassic World Evolution didn’t hide the fact that the game took place on the home of Jurassic Park and World – Isla Nublar. However, the full press kit has shared additional and exciting details about the upcoming video game that are sure to excite super fans. Most intriguingly, Jurassic World Evolution will include ‘The Five Deaths’ – aka Isla Sorna and its surrounding islands.

Las Cinco Muertes Map – seen in The Lost World and JP3

The Muertes Archipelago was first introduced in The Lost World, and while little is known about the islands outside of Isla Sorna, the other islands (Isla Matanceros, Isla Muerta, Isla Tacaño and Isla Pena) are known to be dangerous by locals. Do they also sport wild dinosaur populations, perhaps escaped from Sorna? And the bigger question is does this have any relevance to Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, which is also mentioned in the press kit?

Check out the info in full:

Frontier Developments plc today announced its new game, Jurassic World Evolution, and revealed the first trailer. Based on Universal Pictures’ iconic film franchise and created in collaboration with Universal Brand Development, the game expands on the official Jurassic World mythology and puts players in charge of cinema’s greatest tourist destination – where they will have the opportunity to create and manage their own Jurassic World. Launching in summer 2018, Jurassic World Evolution will be coming to PC, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and the Xbox One all-in-one games and entertainment system.

“As long-time fans of the entire Jurassic series we’re thrilled to be putting players in charge of their own Jurassic World,” said Frontier’s Chief Creative Officer, Jonny Watts. “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.”

Jurassic World Evolution evolves players’ relationship with the Jurassic World film franchise, placing them in control of operations on the legendary island of Isla Nublar and the surrounding islands of the Muertes Archipelago. Players will build their own Jurassic World as they bioengineer new dinosaur breeds and construct attractions, containment and research facilities. Every choice leads to a different path and spectacular challenges arise when ‘life finds a way.’

The game is scheduled to release next summer and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will be in theatres June 2018.

Another key bit of info in the kit is the phrasing of “bioengineer new dinosaur breeds” – does this mean the ability to create your own hybrids, as seen in the mobile Jurassic World game will make an appearence? Hybrids are seemingly here to stay with the franchise, so our bet is on yes (plus even the title Evolution hints at the concept). As long as the game puts the focus primarily on the many ‘real’ dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, World, and the various sequels I personally will welcome hybrids.

What do you want to see from Jurassic World Evolution? Sound off in the comments below, and stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: Frontier Developments

Park building videogame ‘Jurassic World: Evolution’ announced! PC, Xbox One, and PS4 – Summer 2018

Posted on by Chris Pugh

The much anticipated and long overdue announcement has finally come – there is a full AAA budget Jurassic World video game in development! Announced during the Xbox conference at Gamescom, ‘Jurassic World Evolution’ made its debut with a fantastic, full CG trailer. Check out the trailer below, and read on for every detail we know!

“Create your own Jurassic World in Jurassic World Evolution. Coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in Summer 2018.

Build your own Jurassic World, bioengineer new dinosaur breeds, and construct attractions, containment and research facilities. Every choice leads to a different path and spectacular challenges arise when ‘life finds a way.’”

Jurassic World Evolution is a park building simulator, much similar to the fan favorite ‘Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis’ which was released in 2003. Evolution is being created by the longstanding Frontier Developments, the studio behind Zoo Tycoon, Rollercoaster Tycoon, and much more! While little is known about the game itself, it is fair to assume it will feature in depth park management, creation, and dinosaur containment scenarios. In fact, the end of the trailer seems to hint at a storm system threatening the park, something Operation Genesis was known for!

If you are unfamiliar with park building games, check out the footage below from Jurassic Park Operation Genesis, which should give a fair idea of what’s to come.

Expect many dinosaurs and features in Jurassic World Evolution – and while it has yet to be said officially, expect many tie ins to the upcoming sequel Fallen Kingdom which also releases Summer 2018! Perhaps the volcano will play a part?

The known dinosaurs featured in ‘Evolution’ include Tyrannosaurus Rex, Parasaurolophus, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus and Triceratops – expect many, many more!

You can follow Jurassic World Evolution on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and the official website.

Source: Xbox

New screenshot of early Jurassic World Survivor build – will it be at e3? #JurassicJune

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Jurassic Park fans are in dire need of a good videogame – and they aren’t shy about making it known. While movie tie-in games are often times weak, games allowed to find their own voice within the franchise can be groundbreaking and a ton of fun. The Jurassic franchise has had its fair share of games in the past, though most were nothing to write home about, especially the more recent entries. Nowhere to be seen is anything like ‘Alien: Isolation’, ‘The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay’, ‘Star Wars Battlefront’, ‘Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor’, ‘Knights of the Old Republic, or even ‘Jurassic Park Operation Genesis’.

JurassicWorldSurvivor2015Leak from Jurassic June on Vimeo.

This complete drought of new, well made videogames within the Jurassic world is made all the more frustrating by knowing the raw creative potential that exists. That potential, coupled with the record breaking success of the most recently released film makes the lack of any high budget games within the film universe entirely puzzling. Sure, there are the mobile Free-to-Play Pay-to-Win games by Ludia, but those are mainly mindless time killers, and nothing genuinely intriguing.

That’s why it hurt so much in May of 2015 when we learned that Cryptic Studios Seattle was working on a Jurassic World game – only to have it canceled due to the studios closure. Later that summer, game artists began to post some of their artwork and videos from the game, and we covered it. But then something interesting happened – Perfect World Entertainment, the games publisher, went after the artists. It appeared the game was not dead.

More recently, another artist posted a screenshot of a very early Pre-Alpha build of Jurassic World Survivor (then called Jurassic Park Survivor) – we believe this predates the builds of the game we have seen prior, and is when it was quite early and exploratory. What stands out the most, is this version of the game was a First Person Shooter – everything we have seen and heard about the game has indicated it will be third person, so again, this points to it being from very early in development. This version of the game was described as “Left 4 Dead like” and “was cancelled by Universal because of weapons in the game.”

The latter quote aligns with what we heard about other versions of the game, which would have minimal gun usage, and rely more on other tools – and that it would not be possible to kill dinosaurs, only injure and scare them. What we know about the game now is it will be third person, open world action MMO (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) with a heavy emphasis on survival and exploration of Isla Nublar. The game was dude to hit Steam on PC first, followed by its Xbox One and Playstation 4 console releases back in 2015, but those plans may have shifted since.

What we do know is the game is very much not dead, or at least was still alive and kicking as recently as December 2016, which is when Universal applied for trademarks on the title. Prior to that, Perfect World Entertainment registered domains for the IP in late October 2016, so all signs point to the game existing, surviving, and waiting to be officially announced. Gaming expo e3 kicks off June 13th, with some panels starting sooner – our money is on if it is shown, it will be revealed at the PC Gaming Show this upcoming Monday, June 12th at 1pm EST.

However, it is worth noting that Perfect World and Cryptic Studios California (the developer we assumed took over when the Seattle branch closed) just announced a new Free to Play Magic the Gathering game. Sadly, this does seem to reduce the odds of Jurassic World Survivor making an appearance, but perhaps it’s just one of many new surprises Perfect World has up their sleeves.

Stay tuned for more news, and let us know what you want from a Jurassic World game – do you think Universal is on the right track to stop the property from becoming a shooter, or are they getting in the way of solid gaming entertainment? Sound off!

Toy Fair 2017: New Jurassic World VRSE Headset & Game coming this Fall!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Toy Fair 2017 has officially kicked off in New York City, and while it appears neither Mattel or Lego have anything Jurassic World there, a company called  Skyrocket Toys has filled the void. While little is known about the product, Newsday unveiled the set in their article about the hot new 2017 Toy Fair items.

Jurassic World VRSE: A virtual reality system from Skyrocket provides a 360-degree experience that brings to life the Jurassic World adventure. The set comes with a VR headset, motion controller with a case and a free downloadable game. For ages 8 and older. $59.99, available fall 2017

UPDATE – new pictures and info (via pocket-lint.com at London Toy Fair) :

Early prototypes from London Toy Fair

“We got to try one of the VRSE virtual reality headsets on Vivid’s stand at Toy Fair but because the design was not finalised, couldn’t bring you our own pictures. However, we still thought it worth of inclusion as the headsets and, specifically, the licensed games are good quality.

There will be two in the initial range, based on Jurassic World and Batman. Each will cost £70, which gets you the headset, a themed Bluetooth controller and an app download. You use either and Android or iOS smartphone in the visor to provide the screen.

Where we think VRSE differs from most other “toy” VR devices we’ve seen in the past is in the content. We had a brief go at an early build of the Jurassic World app and there are several mini-games and experiences included – with actual gameplay and thought gone into them. It’ll be available in July so we’ll take a more in-depth look closer to the time.”

Images from New York Toy Fair

Unfortunately there are no other details at this time, but it’s intriguing to note that this isn’t just a viewing experience like the past Jurassic World VR game – this has a controller, and gives the player the ability to move around. A long while back we heard that a Jurassic World VR experience was being created to allow players to visit the open parks dinosaur exhibits, and while we have no idea if this rumor was true, perhaps it was indeed tied to this item.

Judging by the included controller, the free game experience must be simple in play mechanics, and is unlikely to be related to the ‘Jurassic World Survivor‘ game by Perfect World Entertainment. Check back often, as more details surface we will be sure to share! Skyrocket Toys is at booth 3019 at New York Toy Fair, so if you can visit them, take pictures, ask for more details, and relay them all our way!

Special thanks to Andrew Lappin on Facebook for sending this our way!

Source: Newsday

Universal Pictures trademarks new Video Game ‘Jurassic World Survivor’!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

In June 2015, a rumor had surfaced that the recently closed Cryptic Studios Seattle location was working on a secret Jurassic World video game. In November of that year, we shared screenshots and art from the game posted by artists who had worked on the project – they had thought their contract was voided as the studio closed, but soon after the publisher Perfect World went after them. We had removed the pictures as a favor to the artists, but as many of you know, the story had already went viral.

jurassicsurvivor2015leak

Some time went by without an update, and most assumed the project was extinct – but in June of this year we had heard the project was still alive, and being developed at another studio. Today this news has been confirmed with recent trademark applications of the games title: Jurassic World Survivor.

jwsurvive2015leakn8raptor

The trademarks were applied for on December 24th, 2016 – so it’s likely an announcement is right around the corner. Doing further digging, I discovered www.JurassicWorldSurvivor.com was purchased by Perfect World Entertainment, the projects publisher, in October of this year. The game was initially planned for release on Steam Early Access before going wide on consoles in 2015 – and while the development has changed hands, and the project no doubt evolved, perhaps a similiar roll-out will occur.

The game itself is shrouded in mystery, though it was reported to be an open world third person survival game taking place on Isla Nublar. Similar to titles such as H1Z1, crafting and player interaction was to play a role – though it was apparently light on story. However, since its delay it is likely the scope of the title has continued to expand and evolve in the hands of its new developer (likely Cryptic Studios California). All we know is the play style and story concept are married with the title: survival. Reportedly, it takes place during or shortly after the events of the Jurassic World movie, and centers around player created characters simply trying to outlast the subsequent carnage.

Whether or not the upcoming title will have any easter eggs or tie-ins to the currently untitled Jurassic World sequel remains unclear. However, this game definitely presents an opportunity to do so, and as the upcoming IDW comic series will tie-in to the 2018 film, it’s not improbable this will as well.

Stay tuned: an official announcement of the game is surely coming soon! While it remains unconfirmed, I wouldn’t be surprised if the title is released some time in early, or mid 2017. As always, sound off in the comments below, and let us know what you want from the game!

Source: Trademark Applications, Domain Registry