The last time we saw a game in the Zoo Tycoon series was all the way back at the launch of the Xbox One in 2013, and now Microsoft is now finally reviving the dormant franchise in the form of a licensed board game!
Created by German designers Marc Dür & Samuel Luterbacher, Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game is a 1-4 player adaptation of the series in which you begin with an empty park and a limited amount of money, and it's your job to develop the perfect zoo across seven rounds of play. Here's what the official description says about it:
"In Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game, 1-4 players compete to build the most recognized zoo. In this strategic and thematic board game, each player has the freedom to develop their own zoo with 35 species, food booths, zoo shops and many more attractions. However, the goal is to find the right balance between Popularity and Conservation."
Speaking to Xbox Wire this week, Xbox Game Studios executive producer Robert Jerauld enthused that projects such as Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game can be a great way to please fans of franchises that aren't in active development:
“It’s crucial to recognize that even if certain franchises aren’t currently undergoing active development, they can still be actively appreciated by their fans. Zoo Tycoon serves as a prime illustration of this. It presents a valuable chance for Microsoft to extend gratitude to the dedicated and ardent Zoo Tycoon fans who have worked tirelessly to sustain the game’s enchantment. We acknowledge your dedication and deeply appreciate you."
There's clearly a lot of excitement for this new board game over at Xbox HQ, and if you're interested in trying it out for yourself, you'll find the Deluxe version over on Treecer. Previously, it was actually part of a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than seven times its original goal - so it's definitely proven popular!
Jerauld says we could apparently see more board games from Xbox Game Studios in the future too...
Which Xbox IP would you like to see turned into a board game? Let us know in the comments below.
[source news.xbox.com]
Comments 7
Sea of Thieves also has a board game. Halo, Minecraft, Gears of War, Skyrim all have had games. I would love to see some from games like The Outer Worlds or Fable.
The only thing I know about this series is that I somehow keep getting it mixed up with Kinectamals.
Or they could just put together a competent Zoo Tycoon game.
But for some reason it seems the giant Sims of old were supplanted by other studios.
Cities Skylines > Sim City
Planet Coaster > Rollercoaster Tycoon
And just about every park builder from Let's Build a Zoo to Jurassic World Evolution 2 are better than Zoo Tycoon.
What I will give them is the last Zoo Tycoon has a pretty cool community interaction feature where you could release animals.in game to have funds donated to real life charities. Was sad when they closed that down.
Sea of Thieves also has a tabletop roleplaying game. I'd like to see others TRPGs from Xbox IPs, specially State of Decay.
@Maddie47 No Xbox money was spent on this boardgame. Microsoft actually made money by licensing this IP out to the boardgame company.
@AccessibleDaydream such a cool game actually! RIP Kinect, it's really to bad nobody saw it's potential. The tech in that thing was insanely impressive Xbox never gets the credit it deserves.
@Fragslayer I never had an Xbox until 2021, so I never got to experience it. Now I’m sad :,(
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