If a recent Morning Star article is to be believed, then Jurassic World Evolution 3 may be on the horizon far sooner than many of us anticipated.
Frontier Developments released Jurassic World Evolution close to the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Jurassic World Evolution 2 close to the release of Jurassic World Dominion – with the third release looking set to come close to the release of the as-of-yet-unknown Jurassic World project due for release in July of 2025. The current forecast for the release of the next title from Frontier is in the fiscal year ending May 31st, 2026 – so there is a good chance of a close launch to the next film entry!
It's important to note that at this point in time, this game is not confirmed to be a subsequent titular title in the Evolution series. Whilst the article does indeed suggest that this will be another creative management simulation game, it is entirely possible that the project will ditch it’s previous branding in lieu of whatever new branding the subsequent Jurassic sequel chooses to use. Reports suggest that the game launch is well on track, and that Frontier anticipate the sequel title to be made public in coming months.
Whilst this is exciting news, I have to admit I am conflicted! On the one hand, it is exciting to think about the potential developments which these games could see when developed purely for current generation hardware. There is a lot of potential to explore some of the tools seen in Frontier’s other games – like Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo, but I also can’t help to feel like this is bittersweet considering the recent downturn in support for Jurassic World Evolution 2. The game has been lethargic in its approach to adding features which fans have requested – and feeling as though we won’t get those features until a third sequel certainly leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
I’m honestly not sure how to feel about this. Whilst the people who work on these games put a lot of energy and enthusiasm into developing these games, it does feel like this has the potential to be more of a financially driven decision than a creative one. Yes, Frontier are a development studio who ultimately need to make money – but there could have easily been a live-service model implemented in Jurassic World Evolution 2 to sustain more of a community over the lifespan of the project. John Hammond is famous for saying ‘Don’t worry, I’m not making the same mistakes again’, but unfortunately it seems like Frontier may have not quite learned from the outcry of more support after the release of Jurassic World Evolution.
This is of course incredibly subjective for all of us. I think for me, I need to see more of Jurassic World Evolution 3 (or whatever the next game is called!) and how it strives to differentiate itself from prior releases to make a decision on whether we really needed this sequel.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to read them in the comments down below! Stay tuned to The Jurassic Park Podcast for all the latest news on Jurassic World games from Frontier Developments.
Written by:
Tom Jurassic