Predator: Hunting Grounds

Last updated
Predator: Hunting Grounds
Predator Hunting Grounds cover art.jpg
Cover artwork
Developer(s) IllFonic
Publisher(s)
Composer(s)
Platform(s)
Release
  • PS4, Windows
  • April 24, 2020
  • PS5, Xbox Series X/S
  • Q4 2024
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Predator: Hunting Grounds is a 2020 multiplayer video game developed by IllFonic and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is part of the Predator franchise, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his role as Alan "Dutch" Schafer ( Predator ), Alice Braga reprising her role as Isabelle ( Predators ), and Jake Busey reprising his role as Sean Keyes ( The Predator ). Set in the remote jungles of the world, it tasks a team of four elite operatives with completing paramilitary operations before a single Predator can find and eliminate them.

Contents

Predator: Hunting Grounds was the first Predator video game in a decade, following the Predators -themed mobile games from Angry Mob and Gameloft released in 2010, and the first full title for consoles since 2005's Predator: Concrete Jungle (although several other games featuring the Yautja were released in the interim).

Predator: Hunting Grounds was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows on April 24, 2020. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews from critics. It is also scheduled to release for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in late 2024.

Gameplay

Predator: Hunting Grounds is an asymmetrical multiplayer video game taking place in remote jungle locations. One player controls the Predator, while 4 others play as a team of special operations operators known as "Fireteam Voodoo" on a mission to collect intel or eliminate a drug lord until being forced to fight the Predator. The chief element is to either avoid being hunted by the Predator or capture and kill the Predator who in turn will be controlled by the player. [1]

Objectives for Fireteam Voodoo include neutralizing computer-controlled NPC enemies, sabotaging their shipments and retrieving important VIP targets from them, as well as other special tasks. The game's maps offer various tactical opportunities for Fireteam players, from working together as a cohesive unit to splitting their force to reach their objectives. While this element of the game plays out, another player takes control of the Predator and tries to wipe out all of the special forces team members. If the human players manage to kill the Predator, their operation will be taken over by the Other Worldly Life Forms Program (OWLF) and they will be instructed to guard the body against hostiles until they can be extracted.

For the first time in a Predator game, players have the option of playing as a female Yautja.

The game includes a lootcrate system known a "Field Lockers", which are unlocked during gameplay and grant various appearance and weapon customization options for both Fireteam and Predator characters, including the flintlock pistol of Prey's Raphael Adolini. Field Lockers are randomized and can contain duplicate items, in which case the duplicate item will be converted to additional in-game currency. As well as being a reward for increasing in rank, Field Lockers can also be purchased, either using "Veritanium", a form of in-game currency that can be earned through gameplay or found hidden within the game map. Items may also be purchased directly for Veritanium, although some of the rarer items can be many times more expensive than a single Field Locker.

Two characters from previous Predator films also return in paid DLC: Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (reprised by Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the original 1987 Predator [2] and Israeli Defense Forces sniper Isabelle Nissenbaum (reprised by Alice Braga) from 2010's Predators . [3]

Release

Predator: Hunting Grounds was announced at a PlayStation State of Play livestream in May 2019. [4] It was noted that the game will allow cross-play between PlayStation 4 and Windows. [5] The beta version of the game was released on March 27, 2020 which was available until March 29, with the full game released on April 24. [5]

Reception

Critical reception

Predator: Hunting Grounds received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [6] [7]

Tomas Franzese of Inverse reviewed the beta calling it the "worst Sony game of this generation", that the "game feels like a mess", visually outdated and unpolished. [13] Jonathon Dornbush of IGN , who also played the trial weekend, noted the excessive wait times to get in to a game and said he hopes that IllFonic "can find a better balance to making the other objectives a bit more interesting". [14]

Sales

In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version of Predator: Hunting Grounds sold 9,172 units, making it the tenth best-selling retail game during its first week of release in the country. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Predator</i> (film) 1987 film by John McTiernan

Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action horror film directed by John McTiernan and written by brothers Jim and John Thomas. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Dutch Schaefer, the leader of an elite paramilitary rescue team on a mission to save hostages in guerrilla-held territory in a Central American rainforest, who encounter the deadly Predator, a skilled, technologically advanced alien who stalks and hunts them down. Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Richard Chaves, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, and Shane Black are supporting co-stars.

<i>Aliens Versus Predator</i> (1999 video game) 1999 video game

Aliens Versus Predator is a 1999 science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Fox Interactive for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Mac OS X. It is a part of the Alien and Predator crossover franchise, Alien vs. Predator. A sequel, Aliens Versus Predator 2, was developed by Monolith Productions and released by Sierra in 2001.

<i>Resistance: Fall of Man</i> 2006 first-person shooter game

Resistance: Fall of Man is a 2006 first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 3. It was developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game is set in an alternate history 1951, and follows Sergeant Nathan Hale as he and the human resistance forces attempt to drive a mysterious alien-like invasion out of the United Kingdom. The story continues in Resistance 2.

<i>SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs</i> 2005 video game

SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs is a 2005 tactical shooter video game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to SOCOM II U.S. Navy SEALs.

<i>SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 2</i> 2006 video game

SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 2 is a tactical shooter video game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation Portable. It is the sequel to SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo. This game is able to sync with the PlayStation 2 game SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault in order to unlock bonus features.

<i>SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault</i> 2006 video game

SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault is a tactical shooter video game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Predator (fictional species)</span> Fictional alien in Predator series

The Predator, also known as Yautja, is the titular extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator and Alien vs. Predator science fiction franchises, characterized by its trophy hunting of other "challenging" species for sport. First introduced in the film of the same name, the creatures returned in the sequels Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010) and The Predator (2018), and the prequel Prey (2022), as well as the crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). In 2023, the species was licensed to Adult Swim to appear officially in the seventh season of the animated series Rick and Morty, introducing the Skin Thieves clan.

<i>SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation</i> 2008 video game

SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation is a multiplayer tactical shooter video game developed by Slant Six Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3. Confrontation came packaged with the PlayStation 3 Bluetooth headset or as a standalone game, and also released as a downloadable title from PlayStation Network. The player is able to customize their character, choosing from a list of predefined items.

Slant Six Games was a Canadian independent video game developer founded in 2005. The company's name is derived from the 1959 Chrysler engine of the same name. Slant Six Games' studio was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were voted the 7th best company to work for in British Columbia by BC Business 2011.

<i>Predator</i> (franchise) American media franchise

Predator is an American science fiction action anthology media franchise centered on the film series depicting humankind's encounters with an intelligent race of extraterrestrial trophy-seeking hunters known as the "Yautja". Produced and distributed by 20th Century Studios, the series began with Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan, and was followed by three sequels, Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), and one prequel, Prey (2022). The series has led to numerous novels, comics, and video game spin-offs such as Predator: Concrete Jungle (2005) and Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020). The Alien vs. Predator franchise combines the continuities and universe of the Alien franchise with the Predator franchise and consists of two films as well as varying series of comics, books, and video games. Unlike the Alien franchise, which features a continuous story arc, the Predator films are more non-linear, instead focusing on individual encounters with the Predators spread across multiple timeframes.

<i>Predators</i> (film) 2010 film by Nimród Antal

Predators is a 2010 American science fiction action film directed by Nimród Antal, written by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, and was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and the third film in the series but counting crossovers fifth film in the overall Predator franchise. The film follows an ensemble cast starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, and Laurence Fishburne, and follows a group of proficient killers who have been abducted and placed on a planet that acts as a game reserve for two warring tribes of extraterrestrial killers, leading them to try and survive and look for a way back to Earth.

<i>Tokyo Jungle</i> 2012 video game

Tokyo Jungle is a survival action game developed by Crispy's! and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. The game takes place in a deserted, futuristic Tokyo, in which the city has transformed into a vicious wildlife wasteland.

<i>The Last of Us</i> 2013 video game

The Last of Us is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States. The Last of Us is played from a third-person perspective. Players use firearms and improvised weapons and can use stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated fungus. In the online multiplayer mode, up to eight players engage in cooperative and competitive gameplay.

<i>Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End</i> 2016 video game

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the fourth main entry in the Uncharted series. Set several years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, players control Nathan Drake, a former treasure hunter coaxed out of retirement by his presumed-dead brother Samuel. With Nathan's longtime partner, Victor Sullivan, they search for clues to the location of Henry Avery's long-lost treasure. A Thief's End is played from a third-person perspective, and incorporates platformer elements. Players solve puzzles and use firearms, melee combat, and stealth to combat enemies. In the online multiplayer mode, up to ten players engage in co-operative and competitive modes.

<i>God of War: Ascension</i> 2013 video game

God of War: Ascension is an action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). The game was first released on March 12, 2013, for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console. It is the seventh installment in the God of War series and a prequel to the entire series. Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is set in ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist, Kratos, the former servant of the God of War Ares, who tricked Kratos into killing his wife and daughter. In response to this tragedy, Kratos renounced Ares, breaking his blood oath to the god. Kratos was, therefore, imprisoned and tortured by the three Furies, guardians of honor and enforcers of punishment. Helped by the oath keeper, Orkos, Kratos escapes his imprisonment and confronts the Furies, aiming to free himself of his bond to Ares.

<i>Friday the 13th: The Game</i> 2017 video game

Friday the 13th: The Game is a 2017 asymmetrical survival horror game developed by IllFonic and published by Gun Media. It is based on the Friday the 13th franchise. The game was released on May 26, 2017 as a digital release and later released on October 13, 2017, as a physical release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch version was released on August 13, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IllFonic</span> American video game developer

IllFonic, LLC is an American video game developer based in Golden, Colorado, with further offices in Tacoma, Washington, and Austin, Texas. The studio was founded by Charles Brungardt, Kedhrin Gonzales and Raphael Saadiq in 2007. IllFonic is best known for developing asymmetric multiplayer games like Friday the 13th: The Game, Predator: Hunting Grounds and Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed.

<i>Laser League</i> 2018 video game

Laser League is a futuristic sports video game by Roll7. Two teams of one, two or three players compete to outlast their opponents by setting up moving lasers in an arena. The game was released in early access during 2017, and officially released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One platforms in 2018.

Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer, commonly known simply as Dutch, is a fictional character in the Predator and Alien vs. Predator franchises, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Predator (1987) and the video game Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020), and voiced by James Patrick Cronin in the audiobook for Predator: Stalking Shadows (2020). A United States Army special forces operator, he first encounters a Yautja (Predator) in Predator when it massacres his crew of mercenaries in Val Verde, before he is recruited to join the OWLF to hunt Yautja in Predator: South China Sea (2008), Stalking Shadows and Hunting Grounds, as Agent Onyx. Following his death, in Alien vs. Predator (1994), Dutch is rebuilt as an android by the United States Colonial Marine Corps, and he and his partner Linn Kurosawa join forces with two Yautja to fend off an invasion of xenomorphs.

<i>Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed</i> 2022 video game

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a 2022 action game by IllFonic. An asymmetrical multiplayer game based on the Ghostbusters media franchise, it is set after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and focuses on players tackling matches either as a ghostbuster trying to capture ghosts, or a ghost trying to haunt a location. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in October 2022. A Nintendo Switch port was released on October 19, 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Hargreaves, Jim (28 March 2020). "Should you play Predator: Hunting Grounds this weekend?". The Sixth Axis. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Bullard, Benjamin (12 May 2020). "He's baaaack! Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as Dutch in Predator: Hunting Grounds". SyFy. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  3. ↑ Gerritzen, Jared (29 June 2021). "Sniper Isabelle comes to Predator: Hunting Grounds in new DLC". PlayStation Blog. Sony Entertainment. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  4. ↑ Oloman, Jordan (7 January 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds release date, gameplay, multiplayer and more". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  5. 1 2 Beckwith, Michael (25 March 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds free trial available at the weekend in time for lockdown". Metro. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Predator: Hunting Grounds for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Predator: Hunting Grounds for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  8. ↑ Devore, Jordan (April 30, 2020). "Review: Predator: Hunting Grounds". Destructoid. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  9. ↑ Harmon, Josh (April 29, 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  10. ↑ Cork, Jeff (April 27, 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds - Not Quite at Its Apex". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  11. ↑ Leri, Michael (April 28, 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds Review - One OK-looking motherf****r". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  12. ↑ Cardy, Simon (April 27, 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  13. ↑ Franzese, Tomas (30 March 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds is the worst Sony game of this generation". Inverse. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (2 April 2020). "Predator: Hunting Grounds Mostly Captures the Thrill of the Hunt". IGN. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Romano, Sal (April 30, 2020). "Famitsu Sales: 4/20/20 – 4/26/20 [Update]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.