"An even bigger, better Jurassic World game" - Richard Newbold discusses the development of Jurassic World Evolution 2 

The world of Jurassic Park hardly needs an introduction, and Frontier Developments' re-creation of that world in Jurassic World Evolution 2 does every bit of justice to it. Sportskeeda's review of the title praises how it builds on the success of its predecessor to provide an even richer, robust experience of management games amidst these prehistoric creatures.

Jump into the parks available in Jurassic World Evolution 2 as you play the role of scientists, park rangers, management experts and, of course, God, in bringing these extinct species back to life and managing them as tourist attractions. Obviously, your goal is much nobler than mere commercialisation, as you care about the well-being and safety of the dinosaurs.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 showcases a remarkable fidelity in bringing these creatures to life on the screen. Every tick and turn feels filled with life as the game has much more nuanced interactions than its predecessor. It has also added an imaginative Chaos Theory mode, where you get to play in the parks from the films in the series.

Angshuman Dutta, of Sportskeeda Esports, recently had the good fortune of having a hearty discussion with Richard Newbold, Game Director, regarding the experience of developing the game and the love the team has for everything dinosaur.

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In conversation with Richard Newbold, Game Director on Jurassic World Evolution 2, about the game's development, and innovations

Richard Newbold here speaks about their vision with Jurassic World Evolution 2 and how the experience was in bringing all of that to fruition. The game is filled to the brim with meticulously crafted dinosaurs and Newbold shines a light on how the developers worked in bringing them to life.

Richard Newbold, Game Director, Jurassic World Evolution 2, discussed a lot about he game (Image via Frontier Developments)

Here's an excerpt of the conversation.

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Q: Firstly, what is it like to be part of and work within a popular franchise like the Jurassic Park? Is having a love for all things dinosaur a requisite for all those in your team?

Richard: As huge fans of the franchise, it was extremely exciting to have the opportunity to create a compelling original story set in the Jurassic World universe, and to continue the story following the Earth-shattering events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

It’s something I never dreamed of being a part of when I was younger watching Jurassic Park myself - I’m very blessed. A love for dinosaurs isn’t a requisite at all, but virtually all of our team fits that criteria!

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Q: What has been your driving force behind the sequel to the popular Jurassic World Evolution? What new things did you want to try out?

Richard: Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a brand new game that expands upon the core features you know and love, while also adding some exciting new elements into the mix.

We build upon the first game by introducing a compelling new narrative campaign, incredible new management features, a range of new locations, and awe-inspiring new dinosaurs brought to life with captivating authenticity. Together with expanded construction and more customisation options, the result is an even bigger, better Jurassic World game.

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Q: Jurassic World Evolution 2 has plethora of nuanced interactions of the dinosaurs with each other and the environment which makes the whole thing an interesting watch.

What has been the experience with developing and rendering these prehistoric creatures especially with respect to the game engine?

Richard: One of the most interesting challenges we had when bringing our roster of prehistoric species to life was with our flying and marine reptiles, in particular, maintaining a parity in behavior with our land dinosaurs.

We wanted to ensure that they displayed all of the behaviors our players would be familiar with from Jurassic World Evolution, but also new behaviors such as enhanced social interactions, dynamic hunts, and fights.

Alongside this, these creatures move in a 3D space (air and water) rather than in a 2D space like land dinosaurs. We had to create animations that allowed them to turn not just left and right, but also up and down in a smooth and authentic way, along with big improvements to our navigation systems in the game engine.

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Q: The Chaos Theory is one of the most exciting additions to the sequel, hands down. This kind of a what-if is an amazing perspective for the players to immerse themselves in.

Tell us more about this mode and what the team envisioned it to be.

Richard: We really wanted to allow players to experience the iconic Jurassic World franchise in a whole new way, and what better way to do that than to allow them to take charge of their favorite movie moments? Chaos Theory mode puts the player front and center, joining forces with a memorable cast of characters such as Dr. Henry Wu (voiced by BD Wong) as they relive key moments from the films.

Whether realizing John Hammond’s dream of an operational Jurassic Park, showcasing a T. Rex in the San Diego Amphitheater, or building and running their own Jurassic World, Chaos Theory allows players to see if they’ve got what it takes to change the course of some of the most memorable events from across the Jurassic universe.

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Q: At the core, in what way do you think Jurassic World Evolution 2 differs from its predecessor?

Richard: Jurassic World Evolution 2 builds upon the success of its predecessor by introducing a compelling new narrative campaign, incredible new management features such as paleobotany, dynamic territories, guest types, building customisation, and so much more.

Players can also explore a range of new locations across North America, experiencing environments including Desert, Taiga, Temperate, Tropical, and Alpine as we find dinosaurs out in the wild for the first time. The stars of the show are, of course, awe-inspiring new dinosaurs, including flying and marine reptiles, who feel more real than ever before.

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Q: How has it been working with Jeff Goldblum and the other voice actors for the game?

Richard: Working with all of the actors is an immense pleasure and a great experience as they bring so much passion to the role of their characters. Everyone has a great knowledge of the real nuance of each character’s personality and it’s a really great collaboration between us all in bringing their characters to life.

One great experience was being in our remote VO session with BD Wong when the game was announced during Summer Games Fest. We all took a break to watch it live together and it was a really cool moment to see all our hard work come to life as the game was finally unveiled to people for the first time. It was so great to see the general reception and excitement for the game.

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Q: How do you think Jurassic World Evolution builds on the management sim games like Zoo Tycoon, which incidentally also had the Extinct Animals pack?

Richard: We’ve worked hard to bring a host of deeper management features to Jurassic World Evolution 2 so that players can fully immerse themselves in running their parks. A great example is our guest management system, where there are now four guest interest groups with specific preferences - players have to ensure their needs are met in different ways.

Our new Scientist system also requires you to hire and manage the workload of staff as part of the dinosaur creation process. For the dinosaurs themselves, we’ve introduced new territory and paleobotany systems, where ensuring your pre-historic species have access to their comfort requirements is key, making them feel even more alive.

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Q: How has the experience been since the release of Jurassic World Evolution 2?

Richard: It’s been so rewarding to see the positive reception to the game! We’ve loved seeing our community get creative with their parks in Sandbox mode, and their reactions to seeing our flying and marine reptiles for the first time have been amazing.

Players have really embraced our original narrative in Campaign mode, and risen to the task in Challenge mode, while being able to rediscover their favorite Jurassic moments in Chaos Theory mode.

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Q: To conclude, what kind of content and update is Frontier preparing for the players in Jurassic World Evolution 2?

Richard: We’re thrilled to have recently launched Jurassic World Evolution 2: Early Cretaceous Pack.

Following the critically acclaimed release of Jurassic World Evolution 2, players can discover four thrilling ancient animals, including land-dwelling dinosaurs, marine and flying reptiles, as well as a host of new dinosaur and reptile dig sites to unearth, offering budding paleontologists even more star attractions to enhance their parks with.