Those left wondering what exactly the gameplay of Predator: Hunting Grounds will look like will finally get an answer on August 19, the first day of Gamescom. "World premiere gameplay footage" will be featured during the event, according to a tweet by Geoff Keighley, who hosting "Opening Night Live" at Gamescom this year.
Predators are no stranger to the world of video games, though they're usually featured alongside their equally-iconic counterparts: Xenomorphs from the long-running Alien movie series. The most recent of these games -- 2010's Aliens vs. Predator -- followed what was, by that time, a familiar format. Players chose to play as either one of the monsters or as a Colonial Marines, and everyone duked it out on what ultimately felt like even footing.
As far a solo games go, Predators haven't been featured on their own since Predator: Concrete Jungle on the Playstation 2 and Xbox back in 2005.
Predator: Hunting Grounds promises to be something quite different from these experiences.
Sony featured a teaser trailer for Predator: Hunting Grounds back in May of 2019, but it only included pre-rendered footage that gave no indication of what the game will look or play like. The game is billed as an asymmetric multiplayer shooter where players have to complete a number of "paramilitary missions," all while being hunted by the titular movie monster.
The game, developed by IllFonic, sounds similar to Friday the 13th: The Game -- another asymmetric multiplayer game by the same developer. In a blog post made shortly after the game's initial announcement, company CEO Charles Brungardt promised to remain true to the spirit of the original movie, which featured stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura playing soldiers who were picked off one by one as they made their way through a Central American jungle.
At the same time, Brungardt promised "surprises in store for everyone," so fans wait with bated breath to see what exactly that means. Hopefully, those surprises don't include the same problems Friday the 13th: The Game experienced during its rocky launch.
Gamescom's Opening Night Live will also feature Hideo Kojima live on stage promoting Death Stranding, along with the first gameplay premiere of Need For Speed Heat.