Role-Playing Games of the 2020s, Part 3 Codexery

Maneater

A bull shark seeks revenge in an open-world action RPG.

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The game is framed as a reality TV show called "Maneaters vs. Sharkhunters," narrated by Chris Parnell.[1] A baby bull shark, whose mother was killed by the hunter Scaly Pete, is the character the player controls as it seeks vengeance.[2]

Making and release

Alex Quick, who worked on the competitive multiplayer game Depth, led production.[3] The game was initially envisioned as an expansion for Depth before becoming a standalone title.[3][4] Tripwire's newly formed publishing division announced Maneater in June 2018.[5] The Nintendo Switch version launched on May 25, 2021, after a delay.[6]

Blindside Interactive created Maneater, with Tripwire Interactive acting as the publisher.[3] According to an interview, the development team drew inspiration from Jaws Unleashed and action RPGs including Deus Ex and Dishonored.[4] At the 2018 PC Gaming Show during E3, the initial trailer for the game was shown.[5] Deep Silver handles the publishing of the physical retail version.[5]

Tripwire Interactive reported that by April 2024, total sales of Maneater across all platforms had reached 14 million copies.[7]

What the cited sources add

An Engadget preview describes the game as mixing open-world environments of GTA with light action RPG elements from Far Cry.[8] The same source notes the initial stages focus on snacking on anything smaller than the shark.[8] A Kotaku article reports that game designer Bill Munk said "Picture Grand Theft Auto, but as a shark" during an E3 demonstration.[1] The Kotaku article also states the game's developers decided to wrap the game in the context of a fictionalized reality TV show.[1]

A GamesRadar preview states the game has a GTA-style Wanted Level mechanic where causing havoc brings human bounty hunters.[9] A PC Gamer interview with Alex Quick confirms the game was originally planned as an expansion pack for Depth.[4]

References

  1. Tolito, "Shark Role-Playing Game Maneater Is Like Grand Theft Auto, Of All Things", Kotaku, June 18, 2019. facts only, no text reused. kotaku.com
  2. Wikipedia, "Maneater (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Avard, "Maneater is a SharkPG with real substance swimming under the surface", GamesRadar, June 24, 2019; Wilde, "Maneater hands-on: Grow from adorable shark pup to adorable shark monster", PC Gamer, February 20, 2020; Morse, "Maneater hands-on preview: Chomping at the bit", Shacknews, February 20, 2020 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Maneater (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nunneley, "Maneater is an RPG where you take on the role of a Bull Shark", VG 247, June 10, 2019; Saed, "E3 2018: Maneater is an open-world RPG where you play as a shark", VG 247, June 12, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Fenlon, "Maneater interview: How you'll evolve your killer shark to become top of the food chain", PC Gamer, June 11, 2018. facts only, no text reused. pcgamer.com
  5. Wikipedia, "Maneater (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Handrahan, "Tripwire Interactive opens a publishing division", Gameindustry.biz, June 12, 2018; "Tripwire Interactive renews retail partnership with Koch Media for global distribution", Gamasutra, February 10, 2020; Chan, "Tripwire announces Maneater, the game where you're a vicious shark", VentureBeat, June 11, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Maneater (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "An Update Regarding Maneater for Nintendo Switch", Tripwire Interactive, September 25, 2020; Romano, "Maneater for Switch and Steam launches May 25", Gematsu, March 19, 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Maneater (video game)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: GameSensor, "Almost 50 thousand copies sold and about $1 million in sales - that was the achievement of Maneater on Steam in the first month of release GameSensor", Almost 50 thousand copies sold and about $1 million in ; "Tripwire Interactive LLC", www.tripwireinteractive.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Tarantola, "Hunt the high seas as a hyper-evolved super shark in 'Maneater'", Engadget, February 20, 2020. facts only, no text reused. engadget.com
  9. Avard, "Maneater is a SharkPG with real substance swimming under the surface", GamesRadar, June 24, 2019. facts only, no text reused. gamesradar.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Maneater (video game) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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1. Which company developed "Maneater"?

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Not quite. The answer is Tripwire Interactive.

2. Which company published "Maneater"?

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Not quite. The answer is Tripwire Interactive.

3. In what year was "Maneater" first released?

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Not quite. The answer is 2020.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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