tomakefor 15 years,andbeingself-publishedmeanswe
canmakethegamewewant.”
JustasthePlanetCoasterteamspenttimeatreal
themeparks,speakingtothepeoplewhodesignandrun
them,thePlanetZooteamhasconsultedwithzoosinthe
sameway.“Ican’tnamedrop,butwehavespokento
zoos,”saysPiersJackson.“We’vevisitedthem,spokento
thestaff,vets,keepers,andmanagement.We’veimmersed
ourselvesinit.It’simportantthatweunderstandthe
innerworkingsofa zoo.Wehavepeopleworkinginthe
companywithexperienceofit,andwe’veconsultedwith
researcherswho’vegivenuslargeamountsofinformation
abouttheanimals.Soreallytherearemanyapproaches
wehavewhenit comestoauthenticity.
“Attentiontodetailis almostanobsessionatFrontier.
Groundingthingswitha scientificbackgroundis whatwe
dobest,whetherit’smappinga galaxyormakingthemost
authenticrollercoastersdowntothenutsandbolts.
“OrinthecaseofPlanetZoo, makingsurethezoo
theanimalsarepartofis representativeofwhata modern
zoostandsfor,andthatconservationandhusbandryare
cateredforproperly.”
“Astreakofauthenticityrunsthroughallourgamesat
Frontier,”saysJonnyWatts.“I’dloveit if peoplewere
inspiredbythemtopursuea careerinzoologyor
astronomy,thesamewayLifeonEarthinspiredmeto
studyzoology.Ourgamesarefun,butthere’salwaysa
messageinthere.Notanovertone.Butenoughtoinspire
people,I hope.”
“WehavetomakesurePlanetZooabidesbythe
principlesofthePlanetfranchise,”explainsWattswhenI
askhimaboutwhathishighlevelgoalsforthisnewgame
are.“It’sallaboutthisdeep,piece-by-piececonstruction,
givingpeoplethetoolstocreateanythingtheycan
possiblyimagine.WehavethisLegophilosophywhere
it’lltakeyoutimetobuildsomething,butwhenyoudoit
youreallyrevelinyourachievement.”BEASTMASTER
ThestarsofPlanetZooareundoubtedlytheanimals.
They’reprobablythemostconvincing,lifelikecreatures
I’veseenina game,withincrediblefidelityandnuanceof
animation.Whentheymovetheyhaveweightand
presence,andyoucanseethemusclesandbonesmoving
undertheirskin.Zoomthecamerainandyou’llseetheir
nosestwitchandtheirearsflap.
Theidea,Frontiersays,is tomakeyoureallycarefor
thecreaturesinyourzoo,soyoudon’tjustthinkofthem
asexpendableexhibits.MEET THE TEAM
Some of the developers
behindPlanetZoo“They both have a lot in common,”
explains Piers Jackson, Planet Zoo’s
game director. “They’re both part of
the same Planet franchise, of course,
but we have a very different focus
here. Planet Coaster has a heavy
engineering focus, on rides. But here
we have a heavy welfare focus on the
animals. That’s really where our
simulation is grounded. Creating the
most authentic animals we can,
getting the player to look after them.”
You have total freedom when it
comes to designing your zoo, building
habitats, decorating it, and filling it
with animals. Like Planet Coaster
there’s a vast Lego set of bits-and-
pieces to slot together, letting you
create any zoo you can imagine.
Then you can choose which animals
to populate it with, and even breed
your own. The game also has a
strong conservation message,
reflecting the real-world importance
of giving these creatures happy,
fulfilling lives, not just exploiting
them for financial gain.
“Animal husbandry is core to any
modern zoo, and some of these zoos
are doing a fantastic job in that
regard,” says Jackson. “We’ve spoken
to zoo keepers as part of our research
on this project, and they are there for
the animals. They’re trying to
repopulate the wild wherever they
can. That’s something we very much
wanted to reflect in Planet Zoo.”
Jonny Watts, Frontier’s chief
creative officer, also has a vested
interest in Planet Zoo, because he has
a degree in zoology. “I was making
computer games back when I was
doing my A-levels,” he says. “I was a
bedroom coder. I’d go home after
school and make games, and my
mum would warn me that I’d never
be able to make a living from it.
“So I took her advice, went to
university and studied zoology, and I
really enjoyed it. But I moved into
computer science and, well, the rest
is history. If I had to put my love of
zoology down to one moment it’d
probably be the first time I watched
David Attenborough’s Life on Earth
documentary series, back when
there were only three TV channels
to choose from.”
Watts has worked on several other
zoo simulations, but Planet Zoo is the
game he always wanted to make. “I
worked on Rollercoaster Tycoon 3,
which had a zoo component,” he
says. “I also worked with Microsoft
on Zoo Tycoon. That was a decent
game. The animals looked good, but I
wanted it to have more depth.
“We just didn’t have time. So
Planet Zoo is really the animal
management game I’ve been wanting
JONNY WATTS
CHIEF CREATIVE
OFFICER
Watts oversees all of
Frontier’s games, but having
a zoology degree, he has a special interest
in Planet Zoo. One of his goals is making
the studio’s sims deeper for the hardcore,
butmoreaccessibleaswell.PIERS JACKSON
GAME DIRECTOR
Piers is in charge of the
overall vision for Planet Zoo.
He’s a champion of
authenticity, and has spent time
researching (and visiting) real-world zoos
to see how they operate, and how the
animalslivethere.CHRIS MARSH
LEAD ANIMATOR
Marsh, along with principal
programmer Ollie Powell,
is responsible for making
the animals in Planet Zoo move
realistically. He combines hand-crafted
and procedural animation to impressive
effecttoachievethis.LIESA BAUWENS
SENIOR ARTIST
Working alongside Fearn
Hilborn, a fellow senior
artist, Bauwens is
responsible for creating the aesthetic of
Planet Zoo. She has created themed sets
of decorative items to give your zoo a
consistentappearance.JIM CROFT
HEAD OF AUDIO
Working with lead audio
designer Matthew Florianz,
Croft is involved in all
aspects of sound design in Planet Zoo,
from the general ambience of the zoo
itself, to the calls and movement sounds
of the animals in your zoo.