Software:Zoo Tycoon (2001 video game)

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Short description: 2001 video game
Zoo Tycoon
Developer(s)Blue Fang Games
Publisher(s)Microsoft
Designer(s)Adam Levesque
Steven Serafino
Programmer(s)John Wheeler
Artist(s)Lou Catanzaro
Composer(s)Steven Serafino
SeriesZoo Tycoon
Platform(s)Windows, Macintosh, Nintendo DS
ReleaseOctober 17, 2001
Genre(s)Business simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

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.[1][2] It was followed by two expansion packs, Dinosaur Digs and Marine Mania, which were released in 2002, as well as a sequel, Zoo Tycoon 2, released in 2004.[3]

Gameplay

A basic zoo with giraffes in one enclosure

The goal of Zoo Tycoon is to create a thriving zoo by building exhibits to accommodate animals and keeping the guests and animals happy. Exhibit-building is one of the primary goals of Zoo Tycoon. To keep the guests and animals happy, exhibits should be suitable to the animal; for example, a lion is best suited to a savannah environment.[1] Choices in terrain, foliage, rocks, shelters, fences, toys and the presence of zookeepers all contribute to the suitability of an exhibit and the happiness of the animal. Guest happiness is dependent on animal choice, animal happiness, buildings, and scenery. Buildings include bathrooms, restaurants and food stands, shops, reptile houses, aviaries, and entertainment buildings such as movie theaters. Scenery involves aesthetics that raise guest happiness slightly, such as topiary art, light posts, and benches. Keeping both animal and guest happiness high allows the player to gain monetary awards and maintain a steady income. To help manage the expanding zoo, players can employ maintenance workers, zookeepers and tour guides. If the animals escape from their enclosures, they can attack and possibly kill guests and employees.

There are three modes in Zoo Tycoon: Tutorial, Scenario, and Freeform. Tutorial teaches the player how to build exhibits and keep guests happy. Scenario mode has the player complete a series of objectives under restrictions. These objectives may include achieving a certain guest and animal happiness, achieving a certain exhibit suitability, displaying a certain number of animals, or breeding a certain animal. Freeform allows the player to choose the amount of money and the map with which they start. They are presented with an open lot and a limited selection of animals, buildings, and scenery available for purchase. As the game progresses, more animals and items become playable. Additional animals and items may be researched, where money is invested to make them playable.

Development

Blue Fang Games originally considered making a simulation game where the player would manage an airport, before the idea was dismissed by CEO Hank Howie, citing that compared to places like theme parks, airports are not "fun".[4] The team then pivoted to a zoo building game, and quickly began research on animal care and behavior, sending artists, animators and developers to zoos in and around the Boston area, as well as flying a team out to the San Francisco Zoo.[5] The team learned how zoos work in order to figure out where they were allowed to take creative liberties, citing that during the development for the Marine Mania expansion, the team gave dolphins the ability to do tricks that were not completely realistic because they thought it was more fun.[5] The development team also carefully tried to strike a balance between teaching players about conservation and entertainment, citing the educational efforts put forth in real zoos.[4]

Expansion packs

Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs (2002) features many prehistoric animals, such as the "Giant Ground Sloth", or Megatherium, shown here escaping due to an unsatisfactory exhibit.

Zoo Tycoon was created in the wake of the success of the 1999 Hasbro Interactive game RollerCoaster Tycoon, which sold well for many years.[6] Zoo Tycoon did well enough for Microsoft and Blue Fang Games to release two expansion packs: Dinosaur Digs, which added prehistoric-themed items and animals including mythical creatures, and Marine Mania, which added aquatic-themed items and animals.

Eventually, Microsoft bundled the expansion packs with Zoo Tycoon to create Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection as Hasbro had done for RollerCoaster Tycoon. This had the functionality of both expansion packs and bonus content.

Dinosaur Digs

Released on May 19, 2002, Dinosaur Digs includes 20 new prehistoric animals to choose from including mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and varied dinosaurs as well as prehistoric-themed items and buildings. In addition, new types of electrical fences to accommodate the animals and prehistoric foliage have been introduced. As in the previous game, more extinct animals, foliage and better care for dinosaurs can be researched. Each dinosaur is adopted as an egg. The game introduces a new staff member, the scientist, to care for the egg and, once it hatches, the dinosaur itself.

Despite the fact that the player can purchase electrified fences to keep dinosaurs contained in exhibits, it is still possible for them to escape. If one does escape, the player will have to hire a dinosaur recovery team to find and tranquilize it so that it can be returned to its exhibit.

Marine Mania

The second expansion pack to the game wherein players can create and manage underwater exhibits or merge aquatic tanks with traditional land habitats was released on October 17, 2002. Interactive tutorials and virtual marine specialists are available to help players maintain animal happiness. In addition, 10 new scenarios were added. The expansion pack provides the ability to create aquatic shows.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings68.74%[16]
(based on 23 reviews)
Metacritic68/100[15]
(based on 18 reviews)
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarStarHalf star[7]
Game Informer7.5/10
8.75/10[8]
GameSpot7.1/10[1]
GameSpy67/100[10]
IGN6.9/10[6]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[11]
PC Gamer (US)48%[12]
Computer Games MagazineStarStarStarStarHalf star[9]
MacworldStarStarStarStar[13]
MacHome JournalStarStarStarStar[14]

Eric Bratcher reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "A pleasant diversion, but it's about as deep as a puddle, and frustratingly finicky."[11]

Zoo Tycoon was received with mixed to positive reviews, gaining an average 68 out of 100 at Metacritic.[15] GameZone gave the game a score of 8 out of 10.[17]

Zoo Tycoon and its compiled Complete Collection garnered several awards and accolades, gaining the Bologna New Media Prize in 2002. Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection received the Parents' Choice Foundation Gold Award - 2003, the AIAS Computer Family Game of the Year Interactive Achievement Award - 2004, the Scholastic Parent & Child Teacher's Pick – 2004, and the Children's Software Revue All Star Award – 2004.[18]

Sales

Zoo Tycoon was a commercial success.[19] Within a year of release, the game rose above 1 million copies in sales.[20] By October 2003, its global sales had surpassed 2.5 million copies, or 3 million when grouped with its expansion packs.[21] The NPD Group declared it the eighth-best-selling computer game of 2002,[22] and the 11th-best-selling of 2003.[23] NPD proceeded to rank the game's Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection bundle 10th for 2004, 16th for 2005 and 12th for 2006.[24][25][26]

In the United States alone, Zoo Tycoon sold 1.1 million units and earned $28.2 million by August 2006.[27] It was among the country's 15 highest-selling computer games ever by July 2004,[19] and Edge ranked it as the country's fifth-best-selling computer game released between January 2000 and August 2006.[27] Zoo Tycoon also received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[28] indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom;[29] and a "Gold" certification from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Switzerland and Austria.[30]

The Zoo Tycoon series, including the original Zoo Tycoon, surpassed 4 million copies in global sales by July 2004. Over 2 million copies of the series were sold in the United States alone by that date.[19] Series sales in the country rose to 2.9 million units by August 2006.[27]

Sequel

Zoo Tycoon 2 was released in November 2004. Although initially containing fewer animals than the original Zoo Tycoon, more animals were introduced in its expansion packs: Zoo Tycoon 2, Zoo Tycoon 2, Zoo Tycoon 2, and Zoo Tycoon 2. The first two were bundled in the Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection; all of them were bundled in Zoo Tycoon 2 Ultimate Collection.[31]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Zoo Tycoon for PC Review - PC Zoo Tycoon Review". http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/zootycoon/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review. 
  2. ↑ "Zoo Tycoon DS for DS Review - DS Zoo Tycoon DS Review". http://www.gamespot.com/ds/strategy/zootycoon/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabs&tag=tabs;reviews. 
  3. ↑ "Zoo Tycoon 2 for PC Review - PC Zoo Tycoon 2 Review". http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/zootycoon2/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Evolution of Animal Conservation in Games, from Zoo Tycoon to Planet Zoo" (in en-US). 2020-02-21. https://egmnow.com/the-evolution-of-animal-conservation-in-games-from-zoo-tycoon-to-planet-zoo/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Carpenter, Nicole (2019-11-05). "18 years before Planet Zoo, everyone loved Zoo Tycoon" (in en). https://www.polygon.com/2019/11/5/20678783/zoo-tycoon-retrospective-blue-fang-games-planet-zoo. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "IGN: Zoo Tycoon". http://pc.ign.com/articles/166/166183p1.html. 
  7. ↑ Green, Jeff (February 2002). "Zoo Tycoon". Computer Gaming World (211): 98. 
  8. ↑ Brogger, Kristian; Reiner, Andrew (December 2001). "Zoo Me, Baby". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com:80/Games/Review/200112/R03.0805.1130.03015.htm. 
  9. ↑ Cross, Jason (January 15, 2002). "Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh Yes!". Computer Games Magazine. http://www.cgonline.com:80/reviews/zootycoon-01-r1.html. 
  10. ↑ "GameSpy.com - Reviews: Zoo Tycoon (PC)". http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/october01/zootycoon/index3.shtm. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bratcher, Eric (January 2002). "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) 5 (1): 93. 
  12. ↑ Preston, Jim. "Zoo Tycoon". PC Gamer US. http://www.pcgamer.com:80/archives/2005/06/zoo_tycoon.html. 
  13. ↑ Cohen, Peter (January 1, 2004). "The Game Room; Macworld's 2003 Game Hall of Fame". Macworld. http://www.macworld.com/article/28629/2004/01/thegameroom.html. 
  14. ↑ Staff. "Zoo Tycoon". MacHome Journal. http://machome.com/reviews/display.lasso?grr8=176. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Zoo Tycoon (pc: 2001): Reviews". http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/zootycoon?q=zoo%20tycoon. 
  16. ↑ "Zoo Tycoon Reviews". http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/472139.asp?q=zoo%20tycoon. 
  17. ↑ "Zoo Tycoon Review - PC". http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r18380.htm. 
  18. ↑ "Blue Fang Games ~ Awards". http://www.bluefang.com/company_awards.htm. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Autrijve, Rainier Van (July 12, 2004). "Zoo Tycoon Sells BIG". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/zoo-tycoon/529739p1.html. 
  20. ↑ Calvert, Justin (October 21, 2002). "Zoo Tycoon Sells a Million". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com:80/pc/strategy/zootycoon/news_2895220.html. 
  21. ↑ "Zoo Tycoon Celebrates a Wild Success!" (Press release). GameZone. October 29, 2003. Archived from the original on December 24, 2003.
  22. ↑ Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry; 2003 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data (Report). Interactive Digital Software Association. May 14, 2003. p. 5. http://www.idsa.com:80/EF2003.pdf. 
  23. ↑ Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry: 2004 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data (Report). Entertainment Software Association. May 12, 2004. p. 5. http://www.theesa.com:80/EFBrochure.pdf. 
  24. ↑ Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry; 2007 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data (Report). Entertainment Software Association. June 2007. p. 6. http://www.theesa.com/archives/files/ESA-EF%202007.pdf. 
  25. ↑ Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry; 2005 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data (Report). Entertainment Software Association. May 18, 2005. p. 5. http://www.theesa.com/files/2005EssentialFacts.pdf. 
  26. ↑ "Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry; 2006 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data". Entertainment Software Association. May 10, 2006. p. 5. http://theesa.com/archives/files/Essential%20Facts%202006.pdf. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge. http://www.edge-online.com/features/top-100-pc-games-21st-century/. 
  28. ↑ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Gold". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. http://www.elspa.com:80/?i=3943. 
  29. ↑ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php. 
  30. ↑ "Awards April 2004" (Press release). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. April 30, 2004. Archived from the original on September 5, 2004.
  31. ↑ "Zoo Tycoon - Home". http://zootycoon.com/default.htm. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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