''Zoo Tycoon'' is a series of

business simulation Business simulation or corporate simulation is simulation used for business training, education or analysis. It can be scenario-based or numeric-based. Most business simulations are used for business acumen training and development. Learning o ...

video games. The worlds focus around building and running successful zoo scenarios. The series was initially developed by

Blue Fang Games Blue Fang Games was an American video game developer, most noted for its Zoo Tycoon ''Zoo Tycoon'' is a series of business simulation video games. The worlds focus around building and running successful zoo scenarios. The series was initially ...

and published by

Microsoft Studios Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...

who later in 2001–2008 went on to create two stand-alone video games and seven expansion packs for PC and

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...

platforms. In 2013, Microsoft Studios released a new ''

Zoo Tycoon ''Zoo Tycoon'' is a series of business simulation video games. The worlds focus around building and running successful zoo scenarios. The series was initially developed by Blue Fang Games and published by Microsoft Studios who later in 2001–20 ...

'' game, developed by

Frontier Developments Frontier Developments is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier is known for developing amusement park Construction and management simulation ...

for

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

and

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

. An enhanced version of the Xbox game, ''Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection'', was released for

Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on J ...

and the Xbox One on October 31, 2017. Frontier Developments, the developer of the final ''Zoo Tycoon'' game, released the spiritual successor to the series, ''

Planet Zoo ''Planet Zoo'' is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments for Microsoft Windows. The game is a spiritual successor to ''Zoo Tycoon'' and '' Zoo Tycoon 2'', with gameplay similar to ...

'', in 2019.

Gameplay

''Zoo Tycoon'' is a zoo simulation video game putting the player in control of their own fictional zoo business. The gameplay formula introduced in the original ''

'' in 2001 received updates throughout the series, but its theme and main motifs remain unchanged: Players must build, expand, and/or upgrade a zoo by purchasing animals, creating suitable animal habitats, and allocate staff and resources for animal maintenance and care. As the ultimate goal of the game is revenue, players must also provide for visitors by building food/drink stands, sanitary facilities, picnic areas, and an aesthetically pleasing environment. Higher revenue is generated by keeping both animals and visitors happy. If the animals are released from their enclosure, they can kill the visitors. ''Zoo Tycoon'' features four modes: Training, Scenario, Challenge, and Freestyle. The Scenario mode puts players in control of a preset scenario in which they have to accomplish multiple objectives within a time period. New items are unlocked as the scenario progresses. The Challenge mode, first introduced in ''

Zoo Tycoon 2 ''Zoo Tycoon 2'' is a business simulation video game developed by Blue Fang Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios and MacSoft. Originally released for Windows, ''Zoo Tycoon 2'' is also available for Windows Mobile, PDA, and Mac OS X, al ...

'', resembles the Scenario mode in that the player is in a preset scenario with limited funds and must accomplish certain goals. It differs in that this mode is not progressive. The Freestyle mode differs in each game, but usually leaves the player free to build a zoo from scratch however they see fit.

Games

''Zoo Tycoon'' (2001)

'', released in 2001, was followed in 2002 by two expansion packs: '' Dinosaur Digs'' and ''

Marine Mania ''Zoo Tycoon'' is a business simulation game developed by Blue Fang Games and released by Microsoft. Although first released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001, it was ported to the Nintendo DS in 2005. It was followed by two expansion ...

''. Within a year, ''Zoo Tycoon'' had sold over 1 million units, reaching the top-selling status on the software charts. Also, a free ''Endangered Species'' download was available from

Microsoft.com Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

. In 2003, ''Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection'' was released which included everything: the original game, the expansion packs, and the downloadable content.

''Zoo Tycoon 2'' (2004)

'' was released in 2004 and was followed by the first expansion pack, ''

Endangered Species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

'', in 2005. The '' African Adventure'' and ''Marine Mania'' were released the following year. Also available as a premium download was the '' Dino Danger Pack'', available for purchase by credit card from the Zoo Tycoon website. Finally, ''

Extinct Animals This page features lists of extinct species, organisms that have become extinct, either in the wild or completely disappeared from Earth. In actual theoretical practice, a species not definitely located in the wild in the last fifty years of cur ...

'' was released in 2007. ''Zookeeper Collection'' was a compilation of the original game, the ''Endangered Species'', and the ''African Adventure'' expansions. ''Ultimate Collection'' was a compilation of the original game and all of its expansions.

''Zoo Tycoon'' (2013)

Microsoft released a ''

'' game for

and

in 2013 as an Xbox One Launch Title. Microsoft announced a remaster of the 2013 game, ''Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection'', for

and the

on August 20, 2017. It features 4K resolution, HDR and 60

FPS FPS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "F.P.S." (''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''), an episode of the TV show ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' * '' fps magazine'', a defunct magazine about animation * ''The Fabulous Picture Show'', a televi ...

support on

Xbox One X The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

. In addition to improved graphics and gameplay, new animals such as

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the womb ...

s, and

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

s were included. It was released on October 31, 2017. There are multiple campaigns and challenges with animals from across the globe.

Handheld and mobile editions

In addition to the main series, there are several handheld and mobile games. ''

Zoo Tycoon DS ''Zoo Tycoon DS'' is the Nintendo DS version of the business simulation game ''Zoo Tycoon''. A sequel to the game, titled ''Zoo Tycoon 2 DS'', was released in 2008. Content The graphics and gameplay are somewhat similar to the first ''Zoo Tycoon' ...

'' (2005) and ''

Zoo Tycoon 2 DS ''Zoo Tycoon 2 DS'' is a Nintendo DS game based on the PC game ''Zoo Tycoon 2''. It is the sequel to '' Zoo Tycoon DS''. Gameplay In ''Zoo Tycoon 2 DS'', the player edits and builds the zoo in a main mode resembling the original ''Zoo Tycoon.'' ...

'' (2008). ''

'' and its expansion ''Marine Mania'' are both available for the

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

. With the exception of ''Zoo Tycoon 2 DS'', none of these games were developed by

. ''Zoo Tycoon: Friends'' was a

free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...

title developed by

Behaviour Interactive Behaviour Interactive Inc. is a Canadian video game development studio specializing in the production of 2D and 3D action/adventure games for home video game consoles, handheld game consoles, PCs and mobile. Based in Montreal, Canada, the compan ...

, released in 2014. In April 2015, Microsoft permanently shut down ''Zoo Tycoon: Friends'' servers due to technical problems.

Board game

''Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game'' is currently in development to be released in 2023.

References

External links

Official website
{{Xbox Game Studios Blue Fang Games games Microsoft franchises Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2001 Video games about animals Video games set in zoos