This October, we’ll be welcoming Zookeepers back with the sequel to the critically acclaimed Planet Zoo. Over six years ago, when we first launched Planet Zoo, we couldn’t have foreseen just how passionate you, our community, would become. Now, it’s time to once again build a wilder world and let your creativity soar in Frontier’s most advanced zoo simulation game to date. In this article I’ll be guiding you through the Planet Zoo 2 announce trailer.
Wildlife Brought to Life
The first animal we get to see is a species you’ll see on our marketing artwork, the Sumatran Tiger. The team as a whole may be a little biased towards these guys, as they just look fantastic. But from the detail in their fur and facial expressions to the way they move and sound, you can really see the huge generational leap in fidelity Planet Zoo 2 offers here. Watching the cubs chase each other around the habitat also provides us with a first look at the new behaviour system. Planet Zoo 2 features a living UI system with animals behaving differently depending on their current mood. For example, our Tiger being lethargic if they’re unhappy with their environment, visually telling the player that they need to make a change. Throughout Planet Zoo 2’s development we’ve worked to ensure that all of our animals feel genuinely alive and have authentic behaviours and interactions.
Creating animals that feel true to life has always been at the heart of Planet Zoo, and our team has spent years refining how we bring each species to life. The Western Chimpanzee is another great example of this. As a fan favourite from the first game, it was important for us to get them right, as chimpanzees spend so much of their time climbing and moving above the ground. From improved brachiation and more dynamic jumping ability, to performing more actions like sleeping on their climbing frames, Planet Zoo 2‘s Chimpanzees are realistic reflections of their real-world counterparts. Throughout this trailer, keen-eyed zookeepers will also spot cohabitation returning from Planet Zoo. In Planet Zoo 2, cohabitation plays a larger role in management, but we’ll reveal more about that over the coming months.
Also in the trailer, we’ve seen how habitats can be built to feel more natural and dynamic across different species by leveraging a massive selection of scenery, including four brand new themes we’ll be sharing more about soon. Back onto the animals, we got a brief glimpse of our Plains Zebras moving through their habitat. What might immediately jump out at you is the level of detail you can achieve with different scenery. This habitat features a custom-built path allowing zoo guests to pass over the top of their enclosure.
And we can’t miss out our fantastic Saltwater Crocodile, with a look at them both in the water and basking on wooden platforms. Speaking of water, this is another area where we’ve made large strides in technology. In Planet Zoo 2, water dynamically reacts to animals’ movements. This can be anything from terrestrial species causing ripples as they traverse water, to our Saltwater Crocs causing waves as they swim at the surface.
Aquatics & Aviaries
New for Planet Zoo 2 are aquariums and aviaries, which have allowed us to add fully aquatic and flying species for the first time. This is an area the team have been working on since day one, and a huge technical achievement, as both our birds and fish have full 3D navigation, but we’re really excited to share a first look with our players.
In the announcement trailer, we’ve showcased a couple of our hero aquatic species, including my personal favourite, the Hawksbill Turtle. As a critically endangered animal, being able to highlight this turtle in such true-to-life detail is fantastic. Alongside the Hawksbill, we’ve also shown a glimpse of the slightly derpy Ocean Sunfish and shoals of smaller fish. As one of the ocean’s largest bony fish, weighing in at up to 2000kg, the sunfish is another dev favourite here at Frontier. We’ll have to leave you to imagine why.
Flying species is something the team has again been really excited to showcase. Aviaries, like aquariums, are another fully customisable habitat, with Zookeepers simply needing to place walls before using support poles to auto-generate a covering.
Our new friends, the Toco Toucans, were next to make an appearance inside one of our new aviaries. I think this moment really captures what the team have been working towards with Planet Zoo 2. Aviaries are more than just a place to house your birds! They’re immersive spaces where animals can interact with their environments in authentic ways, including natural perching around their enclosure. Aviaries can even be set up to allow guests to walk through them, so long as it is safe to do so.
Across all our aquatic, terrestrial and flying species, ensuring they are as realistic in animation, behaviours, and sound design as possible has been at the core of Planet Zoo 2’s development.
Conservation & Management
In Planet Zoo 2, we’ve added a deeper focus on conservation. Zookeepers will need to build habitats that reflect each species’ natural environment, while also creating immersive spaces for guests to learn and connect with the animals they see. Well-designed habitats improve animal welfare and guest experience, boost zoo ratings, and help generate the income needed to expand further. Additionally, they’ll need to manage staff morale and training as their zoo grows. Beyond the zoo, players will be taking on conservation projects across the globe and helping to revitalise expansive Wildlife Reserves by releasing their zoo’s animals back into their natural habitats. We’ll have much more to share about this exciting new addition to the game in the run up to launch, so stay tuned!
Pre-Order Now
From today, players who pre-order will receive the Bonus Content Pack at launch, which includes the Toucan Eat Shop and Signage, three Unique Animal Donation Bins, and the Tiger Photo Stand-In Wall.
Dedicated Zookeepers looking to expand their animal conservation efforts further can purchase the Planet Zoo 2: Deluxe Edition, which bundles the Planet Zoo 2 base game alongside the Planet Zoo 2: Deluxe Upgrade Pack. This introduces an additional six animal species from across the globe, as well as a selection of exclusive animal signs to decorate their park. Planet Zoo 2 will launch October 13 on XBOX Series X|S and PC for a suggested retail price of £39.99/$49.99/€49.99 for the Standard Edition, and £54.99/$64.99/€64.99 for the Deluxe Edition.
Planet Zoo 2: Deluxe Edition
Frontier Developments
· Toucan Eat Shop and Signage
· 3 Unique Animal Donation Bins
· Tiger Photo Stand-In Wall
The Planet Zoo 2: Deluxe Edition bundles the Planet Zoo 2 base game alongside the Deluxe Upgrade Pack, introducing an additional 6 animal species from across the globe, as well as a selection of exclusive animal signs to decorate your park.
Build a wilder world in Planet Zoo 2 – the sequel to the beloved zoo simulation game. Let your creativity soar by constructing and managing distinctive zoos around the world, full of awe-inspiring animals, including fully aquatic and flying species for the first time. Plus, take the next step in animal conservation and release your species into customisable, expansive Wildlife Reserves.
AWE-INSPIRING ANIMALS
Discover a diverse roster of animal species, each with their own needs & behaviours. New faces join familiar favourites like the African Lion and Western Chimpanzee to create iconic zoo rosters in jaw-dropping detail.
Construct beautiful habitats for your animals to thrive in as they interact with the world around them in authentic ways. From authentic herding behaviours to grazing on the vegetation you provide for them. Experience a generational leap of animal detail and immersion with incredible natural movements and expressive emotions that bring each animal to life like never before.
AWESOME AQUATICS
Prepare your diving suit! Fully aquatic species make a splash in their stunning debut! Build custom spectacular freshwater or saltwater aquariums to home an exciting line-up of delightful swimming animals. A new world beneath the water awaits, filled with colourful shoals of fish, Black-tipped Reef Sharks, Hawksbill Turtles and so many more!
FREQUENT FLYERS
Soar to great heights with a diverse mix of bright & brilliant fully flying birds including the vibrant Toco Toucan and majestic Secretary Bird. House your birds in fully customisable aviaries built from barriers, support poles and dynamic mesh covers, allowing them to fly freely and safely. Observe their dynamic behaviours on the ground and in the sky as they glide around unique habitats.
WILDLIFE RESERVES
Conservation goes beyond your zoo! Take on global conservation projects and meet specific requirements to release your animals into fully customisable, expansive Wildlife Reserves across the globe in living ecosystems created by you.
LET YOUR CREATIVITY SOAR
Build the zoo of your dreams across multiple globe-spanning biomes, with four brand-new scenery themes covering iconic architecture from around the world and five returning themes from the original Planet Zoo, providing you with an expansive library of scenery items to build/create with.
Effortlessly design your zoos using a range of ready-to-place blueprints or get creative with the Planet franchise’s iconic piece-by-piece construction tools to bring your own ideas to life.
Delve into every detail with scaling, flexi-colour & easy-to-use pathing systems, together with new foliage and terrain brushes to make grand changes to your zoos and Wildlife Reserves.
MEANINGFUL MANAGEMENT
Construct perfect habitats for appealing animals to bring in guests, boosting your zoo’s rating and earning money to fund further expansion.
Manage day-to-day zoo life as you create immersive spaces for your guests packed with educational opportunities around every corner. Cater to their requirements with a variety of shops and amenities to curate the perfect day out.
A WILDER WORLD AWAITS
Join FEN (Fauna and Ecosystems Network) in a fun-filled adventure around the world in Career mode. Build a global network of zoos and Wildlife Reserves and trade animals with other players in Franchise mode or enjoy unlimited creativity in Sandbox mode.
CONNECTED COMMUNITY
Discover a world of community content in the Frontier Workshop. Freely explore and download player-created blueprints and creations from across platforms and subscribe to your favourites to place them in your zoos.
Planet Zoo 2
Frontier Developments
AWE-INSPIRING ANIMALS
Discover a diverse roster of animal species, each with their own needs & behaviours. New faces join familiar favourites like the African Lion and Western Chimpanzee to create iconic zoo rosters in jaw-dropping detail.
Construct beautiful habitats for your animals to thrive in as they interact with the world around them in authentic ways. From authentic herding behaviours to grazing on the vegetation you provide for them. Experience a generational leap of animal detail and immersion with incredible natural movements and expressive emotions that bring each animal to life like never before.
AWESOME AQUATICS
Prepare your diving suit! Fully aquatic species make a splash in their stunning debut! Build custom spectacular freshwater or saltwater aquariums to home an exciting line-up of delightful swimming animals. A new world beneath the water awaits, filled with colourful shoals of fish, Black-tipped Reef Sharks, Hawksbill Turtles and so many more!
FREQUENT FLYERS
Soar to great heights with a diverse mix of bright & brilliant fully flying birds including the vibrant Toco Toucan and majestic Secretary Bird. House your birds in fully customisable aviaries built from barriers, support poles and dynamic mesh covers, allowing them to fly freely and safely. Observe their dynamic behaviours on the ground and in the sky as they glide around unique habitats.
WILDLIFE RESERVES
Conservation goes beyond your zoo! Take on global conservation projects and meet specific requirements to release your animals into fully customisable, expansive Wildlife Reserves across the globe in living ecosystems created by you.
LET YOUR CREATIVITY SOAR
Build the zoo of your dreams across multiple globe-spanning biomes, with four brand-new scenery themes covering iconic architecture from around the world and five returning themes from the original Planet Zoo, providing you with an expansive library of scenery items to build/create with.
Effortlessly design your zoos using a range of ready-to-place blueprints or get creative with the Planet franchise’s iconic piece-by-piece construction tools to bring your own ideas to life.
Delve into every detail with scaling, flexi-colour & easy-to-use pathing systems, together with new foliage and terrain brushes to make grand changes to your zoos and Wildlife Reserves.
MEANINGFUL MANAGEMENT
Construct perfect habitats for appealing animals to bring in guests, boosting your zoo’s rating and earning money to fund further expansion.
Manage day-to-day zoo life as you create immersive spaces for your guests packed with educational opportunities around every corner. Cater to their requirements with a variety of shops and amenities to curate the perfect day out.
A WILDER WORLD AWAITS
Join FEN (Fauna and Ecosystems Network) in a fun-filled adventure around the world in Career mode. Build a global network of zoos and Wildlife Reserves and trade animals with other players in Franchise mode or enjoy unlimited creativity in Sandbox mode.
CONNECTED COMMUNITY
Discover a world of community content in the Frontier Workshop. Freely explore and download player-created blueprints and creations from across platforms and subscribe to your favourites to place them in your zoos.
The post A Deeper Look Inside Planet Zoo 2’s Announce Trailer appeared first on XBOX Wire.
