On April 24, Predator: Hunting Grounds will be released for PC and PlayStation 4 (PS4). The twist is that the game is designed in the same manner as a major Twitch success and summer hit from 2017, “Friday The 13th: The Game”. However, reviews from the beta indicate that the game should be approached with caution, despite Sony acting as the publisher.
Why could Predator: Hunting Grounds surprise us? The game is generating little buzz at the moment. There’s no hype, as they say, even though the release is imminent.
The multiplayer game was introduced back in mid-2019 but has largely remained under the radar of the mainstream. And this is despite Sony acting as the publisher.
What’s interesting about the game are the many parallels to a hit game from 2017. Back then, Friday the 13th: The Game quickly reached tens of thousands of players and was astonishingly successful for an indie title:
- both games are being released in a “relatively quiet phase” – Friday the 13th came out in May 2017, Predator has its release now in April 2020, after several high-profile titles were delayed
- both games come from IllFonic, a relatively small studio
- both titles are based on major horror film franchises – there are 4 films about Predator, and as many as 13 about Friday: The 13th
- both multiplayer games rely on the same principle: an overpowering killer hunts survivors. This genre is called “asymmetrical multiplayer games”: there’s a power fantasy that comes with it
Power Fantasies: Killer with Superpowers
This is the special thing: In Predator: Hunting Grounds, one player assumes the role of the Predator, a killer alien that hunts with high-tech weapons and equipment.
The other 4 players form a team of marines. They must work together to achieve their own goals and avoid getting killed by the Predator.
This is how initial reactions are: On the site Inverse, the beta of the game was completely torn apart. The tester noted many parallels to Friday: The 13th, but he didn’t see them very positively.
The tester mentioned that the waiting times before a match starts are far too long, and the game simply does not work when you have to play as a human soldier instead of an alien killing machine.
From a technical standpoint, Predator: Hunting Grounds is a disaster, looks completely outdated, and runs at less than 30 FPS. The tester said the game is “the worst action-horror game of this generation.”
It sounds as if Predator: Hunting Grounds could even compete for the title of the worst online game for the PS4 ever.
IGN gave the beta a somewhat friendlier assessment. They praised Predator for giving soldiers a clear objective: they must fight against a drug cartel. This gives the marines more to do than just escape. The game rewards teams that work together. The Predator must react to how the marine team proceeds and find the right balance.
However, IGN also noted the disappointingly long wait times.
If it becomes a success, then probably as a spectacle on Twitch
This makes the game exciting: Friday: The 13th was heavily criticized in 2017. The game had only 61% on Metacritic. However, it was a major hit on Twitch at that time.
The game was, like the films it was based on, somewhat trashy but also incredibly entertaining and fun.
In 2017, the release was overshadowed by the fact that the game was much more successful than anyone had anticipated. As a result, the servers crashed and there were constant problems. The indie studio appeared surprised by the giant hit they had brought forth.
Predator: Hunting Grounds will be available exclusively on the Epic Games Store for PC. For the PS4, the monster and marines hunt starts on April 24. The game will cost about €40 (via PS Store).
Wait or buy now?
How should one approach the game? One should definitely proceed with caution, even if one sleeps in Predator pajamas at night and sneaks around the supermarket unnoticed through the aisles while listening to the heartbeat of other shoppers.
Anyone considering buying it should wait for initial reactions and watch streams of the game. It will be important to observe the technical state of Predator: Hunting Grounds. One should especially expect technical issues in the first weeks. Experience has taught us:
- The game has the potential to become a surprise success on PS4 and PC and especially a new fun game on Twitch that brings enjoyment for a few weeks.
- The monster hunt could also quickly turn out to be a failure.
It will certainly become clear at the release whether the game concept and the multiplayer dynamics prevail, or whether technical difficulties will tip the balance negatively. For the game to work, it certainly needs a good start with many players; otherwise, as many examples show – a multiplayer game quickly loses momentum. Because nobody likes to wait long until matches start.
The best idea of Predator Hunting Grounds will unfortunately not be in the game – it was unfortunately illegal, as the developers explained.
