The next management simulation game from Frontier Developments has eventually been officially announced: Planet Zoo, rumoured to have been in the works for some time already, will see the light of day in “Fall 2019”* - so September/October-ish.
Here’s the announcement trailer:
Anyone who has played either of Frontiers’ previous two sim management games - Jurassic World: Evolution and Planet Coaster - will instantly recognize the aesthetic and some of the game mechanics. Frontier, who also developed 2013s somewhat mediocre Zoo Tycoon game for Microsoft XBox, are again using their in-house Cobra Game Engine and much of the team that worked on Planet Coaster for the new game, so similarities are bound to occur. Even the Planet Zoo logo looks similar to its Coaster cousin.
Under the tagline “Simulation Runs Wild”, the official blurb for Planet Zoo looks to highlight both the simulation accuracy of the animals and the management and creativity aspects of the game:
Meet a world of incredible animals. From playful lion cubs to mighty elephants, every animal in Planet Zoo is a thinking, feeling individual with a distinctive look and personality of their own. Craft detailed habitats to bring your animals’ natural environments home, research and manage each species to allow them to thrive, and help your animals raise families to pass their genes onto future generations.
Manage an amazing living world that responds to every decision you make. Focus on the big picture or go hands-on and control the smallest details. Thrill visitors with iconic exhibits, develop your zoo with new research, and release new generations of your animals back into the wild. Your choices come alive in a world where animal welfare and conservation comes first.Planet Zoo’s powerful piece-by-piece construction tools let you effortlessly make your zoo unique. Every creative decision you make impacts the lives of your animals and the experience of your visitors. Let your imagination run wild as you dig lakes and rivers, raise hills and mountains, carve paths and caves, and build stunning zoos with a choice of unique themes and hundreds of building components.
There is no indication of a console release for the game, with only Steam being listed as the Store for the game that will be “coming to PC in Fall 2019”. No pricing information yet either, but if the Planet Coaster experience is anything to go by, we can expect a fair to high price for the base game (hopefully Steam Regional Pricing works for us) and then the inevitably pricey DLC packs to come thick and fast after release.
The games’ Steam Store Page is live now, so you can Wishlist to your hearts content in the interim:
*(Northern Hemisphere Fall, because the bottom half of the planet doesn’t exist. Why do publishers persist with that stupid release naming convention anyway? Surely Q1, Q2, etc. would work just as well?!)
