A brand-new upcoming title from developer Capcom, Exoprimal combines the futuristic and the prehistoric as players team up to battle against vicious dinosaurs brought forward through time. These won't just be average visitors from before the dawn of time; some will be mutated dinosaurs, also known as "Neosaurs," which have been given special abilities, making them more effective at taking down humans in droves. Of these "Neosaurs" in Exoprimal, one in particular has caught the eye of fans: the massive predator Neo-Tyrannosaurus.
Capcom is no stranger to pitting players against giant reptilian foes; it recently released a massive, well-reviewed expansion titled Sunbreak for Monster Hunter Rise, which added at least one new scaly creature to the game. However, the Neosaurs of Exoprimal are something different entirely. Each possesses unique abilities such as shooting gas, firing projectiles, and creating gelatinous spikes. While the full extent of the Neo-Tyrannosaurus' capabilities have not yet been revealed, fans have already begun to draw parallels with the iconic mascot of the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films, as well as the enhanced dinos debuting in Jurassic World and its sequels.
Jurassic World Introduced The Hybrid Indominus Rex
When Universal Pictures decided to reboot the classic dino action film series with 2015's Jurassic World, the film's creative team decided to raise the stakes. While the iconic T. Rex from the original film -- nicknamed "Rexy" both in and out of universe -- does put in an appearance, the film's primary saurian antagonist is the Indominus Rex, a hybrid dinosaur created by the geneticists at InGen.
As her name suggests, the Indominus Rex is heavily inspired by the Tyrannosaurus, but possesses abilities drawn from other species, including the ability to camouflage herself. Partway through the film, Chris Pratt's character Owen Grady realizes that she also possesses some Velociraptor DNA, granting the Indominus Rex enhanced intelligence and viciousness. The 2018 sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom introduced further hybrids, including the Indoraptor, a more explicitly raptor-like follow-up to the I. Rex who is smaller and faster than his predecessor.
Neo-Tyrannosaurus Could Be the Best of Both Worlds
Capcom's Summer Showcase gave fans an extended look at Exoprimal's gameplay, including a special battle against the Neo-Tyrannosaurus. In Neo-T. Rex mode, teams of rival fighters must work together to fend off an enormous mutated version of the king of all dinosaurs. This mission ditches the PvP focus of many of Exoprimal's other modes in favor of focusing on PvE combat. Players can respawn only a limited number of times, so they will have to team up if they want to have any hope of surviving their foe's assault.
The Neo-Tyrannosaurus looks to be a powerful creature with the I. Rex and Indoraptor's enhanced capabilities, but it also retains the classic look of the iconic Tyrannosaurus and is more similar in appearance to "Rexy" than to any mutated or modified dinosaurs. This could potentially make it popular with fans of both the original Jurassic Park films and the Jurassic World follow-ups. The Neo-T. Rex's full set of abilities has not yet been revealed, although they may be soon, as Capcom is currently planning closed network tests for Exoprimal prior to the game's 2023 release.
Other Modified Dinosaurs Could Appear in Exoprimal
Jurassic World: Dominion moves away from the plot of InGen's hybrid dinosaurs to focus on humanity having to learn to co-exist with these prehistoric creatures, which were released into the world at the end of Fallen Kingdom. It's unlikely that such cooperation between human and dino could exist in the world of Exoprimal, where the dinosaurs are living weapons modified by the villainous AI Leviathan. However, with Leviathan's ongoing efforts, Exoprimal could easily feature a greater variety of mutated and hybrid dinosaurs than were previously seen in the Jurassic World films.
Some fans were disappointed that no new hybrids were introduced in Jurassic World: Dominion, with a focus on returning creatures such as the Dilophosaurus, the raptor Blue, and the iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex, who has established herself as an apex predator in the world beyond Isla Nublar. Exoprimal would be wise to take a different direction and instead introduce a greater variety of dinosaur species. So far, most of the footage of Exoprimal has focused on various species of raptor, such as the "Gas Neosaur" which seems to be an upgraded Velociraptor. However, Leviathan's experimentation could easily allow for the inclusion of more species in Exoprimal, including usually-peaceful herbivores such as Stegosauruses and Triceratops, as well as fliers like Pteranodon.
Exoprimal will release in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.