Planet Zoo: Console Edition has launched for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and we recently had the chance to speak with its developers at Frontier about the port’s development, what changes it makes from the PC version, and more. Below, you can read our interview with Thomas Linthe (Head of UI), James Locket (Engineering Lead), Chris Cox (Principal Render Programmer), and Ged Keaveney (Principal Programmer).

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to Planet Zoo: Console Edition’s release.

"Seeing the community’s desire for us to bring the game consoles got us very excited to get to work so even more players can enjoy Planet Zoo."

It’s been over four years since Planet Zoo first launched for PC. This long from launch, what motivated the decision to finally bring it to additional platforms?

Thomas Linthe (Head of UI): The ongoing success of Planet Zoo, and the stellar work the team has done in the past on Planet Coaster: Console Edition, made this an easy decision. Seeing the community’s desire for us to bring the game consoles got us very excited to get to work so even more players can enjoy Planet Zoo.

James: We’ve had so many requests from players to bring the game to consoles, and while working on free updates and content for Planet Zoo on PC we’ve also been able to make optimisations that would take us towards that goal, so it felt like the right time.

Frontier Developments obviously has experience with solid console versions of management sims, especially with the Jurassic World Evolution games. Was the decision to bring Planet Zoo to consoles prompted in any way by seeing how well the Jurassic World games play even when the player isn’t using a mouse and keyboard? Does Planet Zoo’s console version borrow any ideas from the Jurassic World games?

Linthe: The Jurassic World Evolution games were both well received on consoles, and we did learn a lot during their development, however Frontier’s experience of amazing console games in general helped us immensely in bringing the fun and joy of Planet Zoo to new players.

Planet Coaster: Console Edition stands out for us especially. It shares many common features with Planet Zoo, and so we had a good idea of how we’d make it intuitive for players. These include accessing time controls, uploading blueprints to the workshop to share with other players, using quick shortcuts via the radial menu, and viewing all the data on their zoos. The team’s passion and experience made the whole process so much easier, and fun. Everyone used their experience to help shape the wealth of content available to the players and it shows.

James Lockett (Engineering Lead): The success of the Jurassic World Evolution games and Planet Coaster: Console Edition certainly helped drive and inform our decisions for implementing the game on console. We’ve learned a lot about translating a complex management sim to feel easy to use with a controller, and are excited to deliver the limitless creativity experience of Planet Zoo to consoles.

What were the biggest challenges you had to overcome when trying to ensure that Planet Zoo feels fun and easy to play on consoles without losing any of its complexity?

Linthe: Performance and memory optimisation are paramount for a game as deep as Planet Zoo, but in addition to this, one of our biggest challenges was of course ensuring that the player interaction that was originally designed for a PC mouse and keyboard, also feels intuitive using a controller. In the case of the amazing Planet Zoo, we opted to rebuild the UI and controls from scratch to ensure the best possible console experience, including redesigning how tools work intuitively with controllers.

We made sure to consider how a player might navigate the Interface, enabling quick access to objectives and notifications, heatmaps, and other areas to help them effortlessly manage their zoos. New panels with immediate points of interest help the player deal with bigger objectives and challenges. Shortcuts from information panels and filtering were also added to provide all the information a player might need for caring for animals and building habitats.

Lockett: One of our biggest areas of focus was updating the UI to provide an intuitive experience when playing with a controller. A management simulation game has a lot of information to present, but we’ve worked hard to ensure the UI on consoles feels natural both with a controller, but also with a keyboard and mouse if someone opts to play that way.

We also wanted to ensure players are able to share and download creations with one another, so have worked to add cross-console support for Frontier Workshop.

"The success of the Jurassic World Evolution games and Planet Coaster: Console Edition certainly helped drive and inform our decisions for implementing the game on console."

Beyond the controls and the UI, have you made any changes to the game in terms of mechanics or systems in the process of bringing it to consoles?

Linthe: Our focus throughout development has been on bringing all the incredible features of the PC game to the consoles to provide the same great experience for players. This includes looking at the tools and adjusting how they work for controllers. The collaboration between our specialist teams within UI and Gameplay helped us to make this a smooth experience despite the game being so deep and detailed. We’ve also added cross-console support for Frontier Workshop, so players can share their amazing zoo builds.

We’re over three years into the current console generation, but we do see quite a bit of cross-gen releases. Why did you choose not to do that with Planet Zoo? Was it a case of scoping and prioritizing, or would the PS4 and Xbox One hardware have had trouble running the game at a satisfactory level?

Linthe: Focusing on bringing Planet Zoo to current gen consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S) allows us to make the most of the hardware to ensure the seamless gameplay experience, deep management, and stunning visuals you’d expect from a Planet game. We can’t wait for players to get stuck in and see their amazing zoos.

Lockett: We wanted to fully utilise the power of the current generation of consoles to its fullest to give players large zoo areas to build in while giving them the amazing visuals of the animals and the deep management of the game without compromise.

Will all of Planet Zoo’s multiplayer sharing and trading options support cross-play?

Linthe: The Frontier Workshop is the main way we give players the chance to share their work with everyone cross-consoles. It was very important that we can allow players to have access to all the creativity out there across console platforms.

Lockett: We will have Frontier Workshop to enable sharing of blueprint and zoo creations across Xbox and PlayStation, while players will also be able to obtain animals for their zoos from other players via the animal exchange in Franchise mode.

Given that you have experience working with all the current-gen consoles, I was hoping to pick your brain on some of the differences between them. For instance, where their GPUs are concerned, the PS5 clocks in at 10.28 teraflops, behind the Xbox Series X’s 12 teraflops. In real terms, however, how much of an impact does that difference have during development?

Ged Keaveney (Principal Programmer): Each platform is different, so we factor that into our games by using an engine that allows us to create content that is scalable depending on the hardware, but also allows our team to fine tune and optimise for each platform based on its specific characteristics, so that we can make full use of the available hardware and provide the best possible experience for our players whether they choose to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, or PC.

"One of our biggest areas of focus was updating the UI to provide an intuitive experience when playing with a controller. A management simulation game has a lot of information to present, but we’ve worked hard to ensure the UI on consoles feels natural both with a controller, but also with a keyboard and mouse if someone opts to play that way."

The PS5 features an incredibly fast SSD with 5.5GB/s raw bandwidth. How can developers take advantage of this, and how does this compare to the Xbox Series X’s 2.4GB/s raw bandwidth?

Lockett: While it’s tricky to directly compare platforms, the fast SSDs in comparison to previous generations really enable our streaming solutions to free up more memory in general, and provide a seamless experience for players.

Keaveney: SSD technology allows us to stream content into the game on demand after the player has loaded their park, reducing the amount of data needed during the initial loading phase and lowering the memory footprint required whilst the game runs. The bandwidth of both consoles is excellent and allows us to stream the relevant data in our parks quickly.

Chris Cox (Principal Render Programmer): The incredibly fast SSDs within the current generation of consoles are exciting and make it possible to have very responsive texture streaming. It is now feasible to stream in only the content that is currently visible to the player, allowing us to scale their zoos without increasing texture memory requirements, resulting in a smooth experience.

Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X boast Zen 2 CPUs, but there is a difference in the processors of both consoles. The Xbox Series X features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz, whereas the PS5 features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz. Your thoughts on this difference?

Lockett: Again, it’s quite tricky to compare them directly – the consoles each excel at different performance metrics, and we utilise these wherever possible to ensure a smooth experience on all platforms.

Keaveney: The CPUs are very similar, however our engine framework is designed so that game data is processed optimally on both consoles.

The Xbox Series S features lesser hardware compared to Xbox Series and Microsoft is pushing it as a 1440p/60 FPS console. Do you think it will be able to hold up for the more graphically intensive games as this generation progresses?

Lockett: Developers will always work with the hardware in mind and continue to find new ways to get the most out of any console to ensure an optimised, smooth experience – which is our top priority regardless of how they choose to play.

What frame rate and resolution will the game target on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S?

Linthe: We have nothing to share at the moment regarding specific frame rates, but players can expect to see faster load times and a true 4K experience thanks to the advanced capabilities of next gen consoles. We’re excited for them to get stuck in with Planet Zoo: Console Edition in all its detail.

So, the sudden announcement that it’s coming to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on March 26th almost came out of nowhere. Nevertheless, if you never played it on PC, here are 15 things you should know before picking it up.

Similar to Planet Coaster

If you ever played or even heard of titles like Planet Coaster, then Planet Zoo’s concept will be very familiar. It’s a management title where you create and manage a zoo. Like similar titles from Frontier, the appeal is in the realism and min-maxing your zoo to be the very best.

Dozens of Animal Species

The main calling card of Planet Zoo is offering the most realistic animals in a game (circa 2019, at least). There are 76 different species in the base game, from the Aardvark and African Elephant to the Bonobo and Cheetah. Each behaves exactly like their real-world counterparts and even animates realistically, which makes it all the more rewarding to observe them up close.

Special Requirements for Each Animal

Of course, you usually can’t throw different species into a zoo willy-nilly and expect things to work out. You have to build the corresponding environments in keeping with their natural habitats (the Snow Leopard and Timber Wolf, for example, would prefer colder settings), consider their endangered status and the effect predators can have, and so on.

Day/Night Cycle and Dynamic Weather

Planet Zoo features a day/night cycle and dynamic weather system, with weather patterns like snow and rain naturally occurring. They each have different effects like snow dropping the temperature and causing animals used to warmer climates to take shelter and become less active. However, depending on your zoo’s environment, you won’t even see conditions like rain (which can bring its own set of challenges).

Hiring Staff

When constructing your ideal zoo, getting the right animals and satisfying their needs is only one part of the job. You also need to hire staff, from caretakers and mechanics to security guards and veterinarians. Of course, they also have needs, with happiness ratings depending on the workload, salary and working environment. Pay attention to their thoughts whenever possible since they just might let slip what they’re lacking. They can also be trained to become more effective at their work.

Research and Conservation

As your zoo grows, you can go into research for different species, unlocking better quality food and enrichment items. You can also research diseases to prevent an outbreak, especially when dealing with crowded zoos. Conversation is also a major goal of the game, especially when dealing with endangered species. To that end, you can construct signs throughout the park to inform guests on different topics and raise their education level.

Zoo Buildings and Pieces

Management is a key part of Planet Zoo, but there are plenty of ways to create a standout zoo thanks to numerous building pieces. You can customize the zoo with different tiles, lighting, trees and more, adding in rides like monorails, boats and safaris for guests. With numerous architectural themes, your zoo can look sleek and contribute to global conservation.

Career Mode

As one of the four main game modes, Career Mode features 12 different scenarios for players to complete. Your mission is to traverse the world and help zoos that are on the cusp of collapse, whether it’s “The Ape-renticeship” with its ape and monkey focus or “Steeped in Pollution” which involves toxic waste disposal and building up a quarry as a zoo. Each offers different animals, weather conditions and objectives to complete, with the difficulty rising throughout.

Sandbox and Challenge

Other game modes include Sandbox, which, as the name implies, gives you everything from the outset. Unlimited money, resources, all animals, all research – it’s all available for those who want to chill out and build to their heart’s content without any pressure. Challenge Mode is the opposite, giving you a fixed amount of money and Conservation Points while letting you tweak the difficulty, continent, terrain type, biomes and more. If you’re looking for tougher scenarios and unlocking all research again, it’s the way to go.

Online Franchise Mode

Finally, there’s Franchise Mode, an online-focused mode that features the Animal Market, where players can buy animals from others (with some terms and conditions) in a shared economy. There are community challenges to complete for Conservation Points, which help build more zoos and acquire new animals. You can view various stats, from the number of animals in the zoo to their cash value and guests.

Blueprints

Blueprints are player-created structures which can be shared and downloaded for free. There are over 100,00 such structures on the Steam Workshop, ranging from shacks and restaurants to entire sprawling zoos. And thanks to console cross-platform sharing via Frontier Workshop, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players can download blueprints and use them in their creations. How extensive the support is remains to be seen, but it’s a nice feature to have out of the box.

Deluxe Edition Content

The base price for Planet Zoo: Console Edition is $49.99, with pre-orders netting three more animal species – the Pygmy Hippopotamus, Komodo Dragon, and Thomson’s Gazelle. However, purchase the Deluxe Edition for $59.99, and you get 16 more animals with two extra scenarios set in Southeast Asia’s rainforests and wetlands. Overall, it’s not a bad option for those who want a little more content for an additional $10. Those seeking a bit more, however, can always invest in the…

Season Pass

For those who want even more content, there’s the Ultimate Edition for $119.99. It includes the Season Pass, providing access to 14 DLC packs for console players (which will launch sometime in the future). Additional animals, scenarios and pieces for buildings, scenery and more are included with the DLC, from Arctic animals to scenarios set in locations like Transylvania. All of these DLC packs are visible on the Steam Store, so you can check if they’re worth the price of admission before diving in.

4K Ultra HD on Series X

Frontier Developments hasn’t revealed the resolution or frame rate for Planet Zoo on either Xbox Series X/S or PS5. However, the Xbox Store listing for the title lists 4K Ultra HD support, so at least that can be assured on Series X (and more than likely for PS5). It also supports HDR10 and keyboard and mouse support if the console-specific controls aren’t for you.

Playtime

According to HowLongToBeat, completing Career Mode should take about 39 to 40 hours on average. It can go up to 57 or so hours, presumably by dipping into the other modes, but completionists can rack up over 100 hours of gameplay. When you factor in DLC and community-created content with the additional scenarios, animal species, building pieces, blueprints and much more, that number can go even higher.

Hi-Fi Rush (PS5)

Step aside Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – the true best Xbox exclusive is coming to PS5 on March 19th. Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush already cemented itself as one of the best character-driven, hack-and-slash action-adventure titles ever made when it suddenly dropped last year. The addition of rhythmic elements to the combat with a gorgeous art style and fun humor, made it all the more endearing, but PS5 players can experience the Arcade Challenge! Update! for more challenges and replay value right out the gate.

Outpost: Infinity Siege

If you’re a fan of sci-fi tower defense and base-building, then Team Ranger’s Outpost: Infinity Siege may be worth checking out. Story details are lacking at the moment, but it involves gathering resources, managing units and fighting for survival across multiple sci-fi zones with unique hazards, with a mix of first-person gunplay and overhead commands. You can customize your Protoslag Gun in different ways and team up with friends in co-op, including an endless Horde-mode style mode. Outpost: Infinity Siege is out on March 26th for PC.

Winter Survival

Between Palworld, Sons of the Forest, Enshrouded, Nightingale and Pacific Drive, there are plenty of survival crafting games to jump into. DRAGO Entertainment’s Winter Survival is another potentially worth noting as players fight for survival on a hike gone wrong in Mount Washington State Park. Hunt the wildlife, stave off the cold and hunger, and explore the area to find refuge. Random events can also occur, for better or worse, but the real challenge is managing your sanity, especially when hallucinations start to manifest. Winter Survival launches on March 6th for PC via Steam Early Access, where it will remain for at least six months.

Lightyear Frontier

Of course, those seeking something less stressful can look into Lightyear Frontier. The farming title sees players venturing to a far-off planet for farming purposes. Despite having a mech, it’s more of a multi-purpose tool, allowing you to plough the fields, clear out pollution, plant new trees, and much more (and yes, you can also build a home). With co-op support, it should be interesting to see how Lightyear Frontier fares when it launches into early access on March 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

WWE 2K24

Controversies loom heavily for the WWE following a lawsuit against its former chairman, Vince McMahon. Wrestlemania season rolls on regardless, though, and a new WWE 2K title is out on March 8th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Visual Concepts’ WWE 2K24 offers a new 2K Showcase highlighting 40 years of memorable Wrestlemania matches; new match types like Ambulance, Gauntlet, Special Referee and Coffin; and various new features for MyGM, MyFACTION and Universe Mode. Even Backstage Brawl has been revamped to feel more brutal.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is out on March 22nd for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Combat is real-time and includes new Vocations like the Mystic Spearhand, Warfarer and Trickster, powerful skills and Pawn actions, the world has limited fast travel and a hefty amount of side content that players may miss. Dragon’s Dogma 2 could be a stand-out RPG in this highly competitive quarter.

Rise of the Ronin

Rise of the Ronin is Team Ninja’s biggest project yet and seven years in the making. It’s an open-world action RPG that takes several combat cues from Nioh, particularly its Styles and weapon types while adding a glider, Grappling Hook and even character switching. As a Veiled Edge in the Bakumatsu era of Japan, players must side with different historical figures and carve their path, with multiple decisions deciding their fate.

Forming bonds with characters can alter the course of the story and unlock new endings. However, the developer also promises extensive side content and detailed cities like Edo, Yokohama and Kyoto. It’s out on March 22nd, exclusively for PS5, and with a character creator, four-player co-op and different difficulty options, we can’t wait to see how it pans out.

MLB The Show 24

It wouldn’t be a year of sports follow-ups without a new MLB The Show. Launching on March 19th for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch, MLB The Show 24 offers 400 new animations, including new pitcher animations, revamped base sizes, and multiple other gameplay improvements. Modes like Diamond Dynasty, Road to the Show, Franchise, and March to October also return, while this year’s Storylines sees the addition of Derek Jeter’s 1995 to 2000 seasons.

Outcast – A New Beginning

Appeal Studios’ Outcast – A New Beginning is a dream come true for long-time fans of the 1999 adventure classic, especially after the cancellation of Outcast 2: The Lost Paradise. Cutter Slade returns to Adelpha, and he’s once again on a mission to save the Talans. With extensive weapon customization, different abilities, a large open world with secrets to uncover and extensive wildlife, and a jetpack for quick exploration, A New Beginning promises an extensive amount of freedom like the original. It launches on March 15th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Contra: Operation Galuga

The Contra series hasn’t had the best track record lately, especially 2019’s Contra: Rogue Corps. However, Contra: Operation Galuga is a vast improvement, as WayForward embraces the 80s-style run-and-gun action complete with big bosses, several playable characters, three difficulty options and eight stages for players to test their mettle. New weapons, Overlord abilities and stackable upgrades also sound enticing, and there’s even support for up to four players in Arcade Mode. Contra: Operation Galuga arrives on March 12th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, with a free demo currently available.

Expeditions: A MudRunner Game

If you liked Snowrunner and wanted more of the same, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game…isn’t exactly that. Instead, it’s more of an exploration title where you work with a research team to explore three massive maps. Unearth treasures, transport equipment, help other truckers – the list goes on, with several new tools to help navigate the dreaded landscape and Specialists to lend their knowledge. Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is out on March 5th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition (PC)

After Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s now the turn of Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Forbidden West to launch on PC. The Complete Edition includes the acclaimed base game and expansion, The Burning Shores, while supporting 21:9 and 32:9 displays alongside 48:9 triple monitor set-ups. PC players can also look forward to Nvidia DLSS 3 and DLAA support, in addition to AMD FSR and Intel XeSS being supported. If nothing else, Nixxes Software being in charge should mean a much better port than the original when it arrives on March 21st.

Princess Peach: Showtime!

Princess Peach finally gets her time to shine as the protagonist again when Princess Peach: Showtime! arrives on March 22nd for Nintendo Switch. The action-adventure title sees her utilizing various transformations to defeat Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch, from the deadly Ninja Peach to the martial arts of Kung Fu Peach. You can even don a detective hat as, well, Detective Peach and duel with Swordfighter Peach. Overall, Princess Peach: Showtime! looks like a massive step up from 2005’s Super Princess Peach in every way.

Planet Zoo: Console Edition

A console re-release of a Frontier Developments’ management title on PC from 2019? Odd as it may be, Planet Zoo: Console Edition is out on March 26th for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It features the same content that fans of the original love, from creating different habitats in your dream zoo to caring for various animal species (complete with console-centric controls). The Frontier Workshop also gets cross-platform sharing, providing even more content to download, but there’s also a Season Pass for a whopping 14 additional DLC packs for console players.

Open Roads

Previously set to launch in February, Annapurna Interactive’s Open Roads is now out on March 28th for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. The story of Tess and her mother, Opal, still looks endearing as they embark on a road trip and revisit the past (unearthing some secrets along the way). With a uniquely gorgeous art style and an atmosphere that evokes the nostalgia of simpler times, Open Roads should be worth checking out for adventure game fans.

Planet Zoo: Console Edition features the same four modes – Career, Sandbox, Challenge and Franchise – while featuring more than four years of updates. The Frontier Workshop supports cross-platform sharing on consoles, providing even more zoos and content for players to download and enjoy

Alongside the Standard Edition is the Deluxe Edition, which includes 16 additional animals and two more scenarios set in rain-forests of Southeast Asia and the wetlands for $59.99. The Ultimate Edition retails for $119.99, with access to the Season Pass for 14 future DLC packs on consoles.

Those who pre-order can also net three more animals – the Pygmy Hippopotamus, Komodo Dragon, and Thomson’s Gazelle. For more details on the game, check out our review of the PC version.