If you want to put a pig in a pen, a coaster in a copse, or maybe a stegosaurus in a stall, Frontier more than has you covered. The developers are the kings of digital park building, and following the arrival of the European DLC for Planet Zoo in December, we caught up with Game Director Steve Wilkins and Designer Kilian Schmitt to talk through the latest additions they’ve made.
TSA: With the arrival of the European DLC, Planet Zoo has ballooned in size since its launch. How has the team’s vision developed over that time?
Steve: Within just two years of Planet Zoo launching we’ve managed to double the number of species available in the game. It’s amazing to see the love and engagement our community has for the game to this day. While smaller details may have changed a little, our overall vision for the game has remained the same throughout the development of our free updates and DLC packs. Our goal has been to provide interesting and fun content packs alongside free updates packed with engaging new features, so that we can provide our players with more opportunities to let their creativity run free in their zoos.
TSA: There’s five new animals to add to our zoos, talk us through why you settled on this selection?
Steve: We look at several different factors when creating a roster of animals for a new pack, including their popularity in our player base, their conservation status and history, how common they are in captivity, if they would present any challenges in development, and if they fit within the wider ‘Zoopedia’ of animals available in the game.
For Planet Zoo: Europe Pack, the Eurasian Lynx was a must have – it’s Europe’s biggest native wild cat and has been the subject of an exciting rewilding project. The same goes for the Alpine Ibex, with their magnificent recovery from the brink of extinction in the Italian mountains. We chose the European Fallow Deer over other deer species for their versatile coat variations and abundance in European wildlife parks (additionally, this was a nice surprise for those of our community, who often try to guess which species are coming). The European Badger is so widespread across Europe we felt its iconic stripes couldn’t be missing from the pack either. Lastly, the Fire Salamander Exhibit Animal was chosen for its unique colouration, temperate exhibit, and so that we could bring a new type of amphibian to the game.
TSA: I have to say that the badger is my spirit animal. Which of them is your new favourite?
Kilian: The badger is a great choice! I have roots in Bavaria myself, and as such the Alpine Ibex and European Fallow Deer tie for my favourites from Planet Zoo: Europe Pack for the childhood nostalgia factor. Our animators, riggers and character artists have also done a phenomenal job on these animals, so that makes it even harder to choose just one.
TSA: Planet Zoo is outstanding visually. The new DLC allows you to build a unique new zoo. How did you ensure that the new options would stand out from what’s gone before?
Steve: For new scenery themes, we take into account the architecture of the region or area we are focusing on, elements we know are often found in zoos, and pieces that are highly requested by our players. For our Planet Zoo: Europe Pack scenery, we wanted to focus on the idea of water and bridges as a connecting element between the different European countries and cultures. The scenery pieces in the Europe Pack are also inspired by the wealth of architecture found across the continent, and the folklore of Europe. Our Art Director Marc Cox did an amazing job with the scenery for this pack!
TSA: The new timed scenario is set in an incredible-looking zoo itself. Are your level designers just going wild now?
Steve: More recently, we have concentrated our efforts into providing one big timed scenario as opposed to two separate, smaller ones. This means we have more art and level design resources to pour into the maps and objectives for the timed scenario. Al’s Pine Zoo, which is the setting for the Planet Zoo: Europe Pack timed scenario, was born as an ambitious concept for a zoo highlighting various European cultures and architectural styles. We’re very happy with how it turned out and players have really enjoyed getting stuck in with the scenario.
TSA: As you continue to roll out DLC, do you think ongoing support essential in today’s market, or is Planet Zoo as much of a passion project as it seems?
Steve: Planet Zoo is a very successful game for us, and our passion for its development hasn’t diminished a bit. At Frontier we strive to keep our games active and fresh, and that can only happen through the ongoing engagement of our community. We’re also firm believers in taking the feedback and desires of our players into account when it comes to building upon our core vision for Planet Zoo.
TSA: What has been the most satisfying part of the Planet Zoo development?
Steve: The Planet Zoo community are such a passionate group of players, and reading all the reactions, comments and discussions following any of our releases is an incredibly rewarding experience. Prior to launching any of our updates, seeing all the different parts of our features and animals come together during their development has also been satisfying.
TSA: Are there any animals left on your wishlist now?
Steve: With so many amazing animals available in Planet Zoo, it’s hard to think of an animal we haven’t yet included!
TSA: Will we ever see a Frontier crossover game? Jurassic World Evolution x Planet Zoo might be more like buffet DLC, but how about Zoo and Coaster?
Steve: While Jurassic World Evolution 2 and Planet Coaster also fantastic games in their own right, there are no plans regarding any crossover with Planet Zoo.
The European DLC for Planet Zoo is available now – read our thoughts and impressions on the expansion here.
