Hello everyone!
We have spent this week at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany and we wanted to fill everyone in on what we got up to at the event (including Beta news), so here's a handy recap on everything Planet Zoo.
We kicked off the week with our Bornean Orangutan reveal on Monday. These majestic, astute animals differ from their Sumatra counterparts, as the Bornean Orangutans have broader faces, shorter bears and are darker in colour, if only slightly. Bornean Orangutans possess high intelligence, as shown by their use of tools in activities. Did you know that they utilise leaves as umbrellas, sponges, and even napkins?
Unfortunately, Bornean Orangutans are critically endangered, as their populations have declined by more than 50% over the past 60 years. You can help these majestic animals, to find out how click here.
On Tuesday, we released a brand new trailer and revealed that the Planet Zoo Beta, which you can take part in by pre-ordering the Planet Zoo Deluxe Edition, will run from 24 September to 8 October, 2019! Check out the trailer here.
We also released our new Gameplay Reveal for the very first Scenario in Planet Zoo, so if you haven't seen that yet you can watch it back here.
Wednesday was a big day for us, as this is when Gamescom opened to the public and our community got to try Planet Zoo for the first time! The response was incredible and the feedback we received was so positive, we can't wait for you all to play and enjoy yourselves during Beta! The show lasted all the way through to Saturday and we're sure feeling pretty tired right now (but it's worth it)!
On Thursday, we posted our next Developer Journal, which focused on the lifecycles and animal scaling. We spoke to Designer Darren Williams and Principal Programmer Ollie Powell to find out more on how the animals scale, meaning how they grow as they get older. 'Indeed, your animals gradually grow throughout their adult life. This is all happening dynamically in-game, even as you watch them! Of course it’ll be too gradual to see but all of our animal technology is adapting on the fly as they change in size, from how they walk through the environment to how they play with each other; these behaviours all respond to size change.' You can read the whole journal here.
We also hosted our community meet at the Cologne Chocolate Museum on Thursday evening, and we were joined by many members of the Planet Zoo community! So many people expressed their excitement and anticipation for the game, it made for a great night for the budding community to get together, meet fellow community members, and celebrate being part of a wondrously positive community.
On Friday we took a closer look at a new Staff member: veterinarians! They are vital in keeping your animals healthy and thriving, meaning that are an absolute necessity in your zoos. The vets work in their vet clinics, and you will learn all about them very soon.
Of course, we also revealed loads of new animals!
The Common Ostrich is the largest living species of bird, and the only living member of the genus Struthio. These phenomenal creatures are flightless, have three stomachs and have the largest eggs of any living bird at 15cm long, though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird.
The Yellow Anaconda is a semi-aquatic snake, recognisable by their distinct yellow/olive scales with dark splotches, predominantly forage in shallow water in wetland habitats, and feed mainly on birds, rodents and fish. Their average adult size is around three meters.
You've also seen the Snow Leopard. These astounding cats are able to jump as far as 15 metres, and can jump 6 metres vertically. However, unlike most other big cats, Snow Leopards cannot roar, as they have different, less developed vocal chords. Instead, they make a range of other noises, including growls, meows and hisses, much like a domestic cat.
And of course in the demo and trailer you could also see the Common Warthogs, Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Lehman's Poison Frog, and Titan Beetles! Did you spot them all?
Last but not least, this entire week we've been running a competition using the hashtag #GoWildAtGamescom, with which you could check in to win some awesome prizes. Here are the winners, and they will be contacted by the Community Team on the platform on which they posted their winning post. Thanks to everyone who joined in!
Planet Zoo Deluxe Edition: Just.Vantastic
Planet Zoo Goodie Bag: mitaia_cosplay
Planet Zoo Goodie Bag: Merely_meryl
Planet Zoo Goodie Bag: Queen Lucanaii
Planet Zoo Signed Poster: Yarik
Planet Zoo Plushie: Sleeping Sara
We hope you have enjoyed Gamescom with us, whether it be coming to our showfloor booth and getting hands on with the game, or following all the latest news on social media. We still have so much more to show ahead of the Beta, so make sure to follow us on social media @PlanetZooGame on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to keep up to date with all the reveals we have planned. Thank you for all your support and feedback during Gamescom, we cannot wait to show you more of Planet Zoo!
We have spent this week at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany and we wanted to fill everyone in on what we got up to at the event (including Beta news), so here's a handy recap on everything Planet Zoo.
We kicked off the week with our Bornean Orangutan reveal on Monday. These majestic, astute animals differ from their Sumatra counterparts, as the Bornean Orangutans have broader faces, shorter bears and are darker in colour, if only slightly. Bornean Orangutans possess high intelligence, as shown by their use of tools in activities. Did you know that they utilise leaves as umbrellas, sponges, and even napkins?
Unfortunately, Bornean Orangutans are critically endangered, as their populations have declined by more than 50% over the past 60 years. You can help these majestic animals, to find out how click here.
On Tuesday, we released a brand new trailer and revealed that the Planet Zoo Beta, which you can take part in by pre-ordering the Planet Zoo Deluxe Edition, will run from 24 September to 8 October, 2019! Check out the trailer here.
We also released our new Gameplay Reveal for the very first Scenario in Planet Zoo, so if you haven't seen that yet you can watch it back here.
Wednesday was a big day for us, as this is when Gamescom opened to the public and our community got to try Planet Zoo for the first time! The response was incredible and the feedback we received was so positive, we can't wait for you all to play and enjoy yourselves during Beta! The show lasted all the way through to Saturday and we're sure feeling pretty tired right now (but it's worth it)!
On Thursday, we posted our next Developer Journal, which focused on the lifecycles and animal scaling. We spoke to Designer Darren Williams and Principal Programmer Ollie Powell to find out more on how the animals scale, meaning how they grow as they get older. 'Indeed, your animals gradually grow throughout their adult life. This is all happening dynamically in-game, even as you watch them! Of course it’ll be too gradual to see but all of our animal technology is adapting on the fly as they change in size, from how they walk through the environment to how they play with each other; these behaviours all respond to size change.' You can read the whole journal here.
We also hosted our community meet at the Cologne Chocolate Museum on Thursday evening, and we were joined by many members of the Planet Zoo community! So many people expressed their excitement and anticipation for the game, it made for a great night for the budding community to get together, meet fellow community members, and celebrate being part of a wondrously positive community.
On Friday we took a closer look at a new Staff member: veterinarians! They are vital in keeping your animals healthy and thriving, meaning that are an absolute necessity in your zoos. The vets work in their vet clinics, and you will learn all about them very soon.
Of course, we also revealed loads of new animals!
The Common Ostrich is the largest living species of bird, and the only living member of the genus Struthio. These phenomenal creatures are flightless, have three stomachs and have the largest eggs of any living bird at 15cm long, though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird.
The Yellow Anaconda is a semi-aquatic snake, recognisable by their distinct yellow/olive scales with dark splotches, predominantly forage in shallow water in wetland habitats, and feed mainly on birds, rodents and fish. Their average adult size is around three meters.
You've also seen the Snow Leopard. These astounding cats are able to jump as far as 15 metres, and can jump 6 metres vertically. However, unlike most other big cats, Snow Leopards cannot roar, as they have different, less developed vocal chords. Instead, they make a range of other noises, including growls, meows and hisses, much like a domestic cat.
And of course in the demo and trailer you could also see the Common Warthogs, Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Lehman's Poison Frog, and Titan Beetles! Did you spot them all?
Last but not least, this entire week we've been running a competition using the hashtag #GoWildAtGamescom, with which you could check in to win some awesome prizes. Here are the winners, and they will be contacted by the Community Team on the platform on which they posted their winning post. Thanks to everyone who joined in!
Planet Zoo Deluxe Edition: Just.Vantastic
Planet Zoo Goodie Bag: mitaia_cosplay
Planet Zoo Goodie Bag: Merely_meryl
Planet Zoo Goodie Bag: Queen Lucanaii
Planet Zoo Signed Poster: Yarik
Planet Zoo Plushie: Sleeping Sara
We hope you have enjoyed Gamescom with us, whether it be coming to our showfloor booth and getting hands on with the game, or following all the latest news on social media. We still have so much more to show ahead of the Beta, so make sure to follow us on social media @PlanetZooGame on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to keep up to date with all the reveals we have planned. Thank you for all your support and feedback during Gamescom, we cannot wait to show you more of Planet Zoo!
