The future of the Jurassic franchise is looking increasingly complicated.
Universal is developing Jurassic World 5, but the sequel has already hit a significant production problem after director Gareth Edwards departed the project over creative differences.
The studio is now searching for a replacement, while Scarlett Johansson (Zora Bennett), Mahershala Ali (Duncan Kincaid), and Jonathan Bailey (Henry Loomis) are expected to return from Jurassic World Rebirth (2025). David Koepp is also attached to write the screenplay again.
That leaves the franchise with a film still taking shape and a seventh that divided audiences.
Rebirth earned $869.1 million worldwide, but its reception was considerably less enthusiastic, with criticism directed at its familiar premise and decision to revisit yet another isolated jungle setting.
It’s against that backdrop that Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA) becomes particularly interesting.
Unlike the next film, Saber Interactive’s game is deliberately going backward. The project takes players to Isla Nublar in the immediate aftermath of the original Jurassic Park (1993), with InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi left behind after the evacuation.
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The game has been in development since its announcement at The Game Awards in December 2023. Updates have been sporadic, although IGN shared an exclusive Q&A with the developers in 2024 and Saber subsequently released behind-the-scenes material. Fortunately, the developers recently confirmed that the project remains active.
For now, there’s plenty in the footage that suggests the wait will be worthwhile.
Saber is rebuilding locations from the original movie, including the Visitor Center and genetics laboratories. Maya, played through motion capture by Payal Mistry, is another intriguing part of the project. Her story begins after she fails to escape Nublar, putting a new character into a setting audiences already know.
But that familiarity is also where the game’s biggest questions arise.
The dinosaurs shown so far appear to use designs closer to the Jurassic World era than Spielberg’s original creatures.
The first-person perspective has also raised eyebrows, particularly for a game promising “a fully realized Nublar”. And despite being described as a new adventure, Survival is set just 24 hours after the 1993 movie. In other words, Saber is attempting to create something new without leaving one of the franchise’s most familiar stories behind.
Jurassic Park: Survival currently has no release date but is planned for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
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