Will There Be A Maneater 2?

Despite the fascination with sharks in popular culture, there haven’t been many notable console games featuring the fearsome sea creatures over the years. This trend could change after the success of Maneater, one of the earliest hits on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

With modern-day console capabilities, the potential for detailed shark games is endless, and Tripwire Interactive’s offering proved that. Thanks to the great reception that the 2020 game received, there is a strong chance that a second installment of the series could be on the way.

What is Maneater About?

Maneater is one of the most original games to hit consoles recently, as it allowed players to take control of a huge bull shark. The game aims to avenge Scaly Pete, a hunter who killed the protagonist’s mother. Along with having a range of attacks at its disposal, the shark can use items from its surroundings to its advantage. It can also jump out of the water and cause carnage on beaches and harbors.

The title, designed by David Hensley, Joe Russo, and Leland Scali, used Unreal Engine 4, allowing for incredible visuals that make the shark attacks extremely impressive. The title received strong feedback from critics, with numerous publications awarding it a score of 7/10. Thanks to the success of the main title, Tripwire Interactive released a DLC pack in 2021 called Truth Quest. This took the story in a new direction and dealt with an experiment site creating radioactive monsters. This could be an option to explore further in a Maneater 2 game.

Shark Content is Abundant in the Mainstream

There is a strong argument that Tripwire Interactive should focus on a sequel to Maneater before working on anything else. It could use Unreal Engine 5 well and capitalize on the sheer wealth of shark-themed content prevalent in popular culture. Looking at the wider entertainment industry, audiences seem hungry for more content about deadly predators.

On mobile, there are countless shark games. These include the likes of Hungry Shark Evolution and My Shark Show. In cinema, there has been an influx of shark-themed pictures in recent years. After the success of The Meg in 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures is preparing to release Meg 2: The Trench later in 2023. Some other recent shark offerings include Big Shark and The Black Demon. From all these games and movies, people clearly want more action from the deadly beasts, and Tripwire Interactive could deliver it with Maneater 2.

It would make a lot of sense for the Maneater developers to continue the franchise and produce a sequel. The first offering was popular, but the second could capitalize on that success even more, making the shark genre massive on consoles.