The new game Predator: Hunting Grounds (PC, PS4) is published by Sony, but starts unusually weak. The first tests on Metacritic are mediocre, and there is also no success on Twitch, which one perhaps hoped for from the multiplayer game.
This is the game: Predator: Hunting Grounds is an asymmetric multiplayer game:
- one player is the killer, the spider-like Predator. He is a relentless hunter and relies on alien high-tech technology
- the other 4 players become marines, who have their own tasks to complete and must take down a drug cartel in the jungle
The game was released on April 24, 2020, and costs about €40.
“SF version” of summer hit 2017
That was the hope: Developer Illfonic scored a surprise hit in 2017 with a similar concept.
Although Friday the 13th: The Game received relatively weak reviews (61% via metacritic), the game exploded on Twitch. The horror game combined asymmetric action with a well-known film brand about an overpowered killer. Viewers on Twitch loved it:
- upon release, 125,328 viewers watched Friday: The 13th simultaneously
- the horror game then settled relatively high on Twitch. In May 2017, it was game No. 7 by average viewers
- in June, it still held 11th place – it maintained that for a while
Friday: The 13th: The Game became a surprise success and a summer hit in 2017 without major marketing, through Twitch and word-of-mouth.
The developers themselves later said: Reviews were not as important in 2017, the games had to work on Twitch.
Predator sinks on Twitch
This is how it is now with Predator: Hunting Grounds: The SF game cannot reach the success of Friday: The 13th on Twitch:
- At its peak, 38,593 viewers were watching, but that was a lonely peak that quickly fell.
- Currently, the game sits with 5,522 average viewers in 51st place on Twitch. You have to scroll a long way to find it.
Twitch would normally be in an April slump because hardly any new games are released. But Valorant is such a hit on Twitch, that one doesn’t notice the slump in new games.
Furthermore, LoL, Fortnite, GTA V, CS:GO, and many other games are currently thriving.
Metacritic shows mediocre reviews with 59% for Predator: Hunting Grounds
This is what initial tests say about Predator: Hunting Grounds on PS4: The reviews on Meta-Critic are even worse than those for Friday: The 13th three years ago. The new game only has 59% on PS4.
The worst review came from “Push Square” with 40%. They said the game would have fit better on the PlayStation 3. It would provide a few hours of fun, but it gets exhausted quickly because it brings too little content. (via Push Square)
IGN, who praised the game during beta, gave it 50%. Predator: Hunting Grounds does not allow players to fully live out the power fantasy of being a hunting alien. The game also does not offer top-notch gameplay. There are strong moments, but they are too rare. (via IGN)
Game Informer at least gives it 73% and recommends the game for “fans of the film.” (via Game Informer)
This is how players evaluate:
- There are no Steam reviews, as Predator: Hunting Grounds is only playable on the Epic Games Store and not on Steam
- The user score on Metacritic is at 69%, 10 points higher than the critics’ opinion
Predator: Hunting Grounds is brutal and for movie fans
These are the themes of the fans: On reddit, fans discussed mainly two things in the first 4 days after release:
- There is a discussion about whether the Predator is too weak or whether “noobs just can’t play him” – generally, the killer could probably be a bit more dangerous, especially when beginners are playing as Aliens
- Otherwise, players indulge mainly in the spectacularly brutal “finishing moves,” in which the Predator takes the spine of the victims. The film-like brutality was also praised in Friday: The 13th. There is thus a parallel
A week ago, we asked on MeinMMO: Twitch hit or weak PS4 game?
At the moment it seems that Predator: Hunting Grounds is not able to replicate the success of Friday: The 13th: The Game. It seems that several factors came together at that time, which are missing in Predator: Hunting Grounds.
It is especially surprising that despite Corona, the game slump, and such a strong brand, there is almost no hype. The title seems to be under the radar of most players, as if it had activated its invisibility, for which the Predator is known.
The fear: Asymmetric multiplayer games, which already lack players at launch, have generally not had a good run.
Thus, Evolve was released in 2015 and received some recognition and praise. However, the game never really took off. In 2018, the lights went out for Evolve. Some fans still miss the monster hunt today.
