The Predator franchise has been a mainstay of popular culture since the original sci-fi horror film debuted staring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the late '80s. Soon the extraterrestrial hunter will be making its way to the Epic Games Store and PlayStation 4 with Predator: Hunting Grounds.
Today, the official PlayStation YouTube account put out an advertisement for a free trial of Predator: Hunting Grounds happening between 5:00 p.m. PST on March 27 and 11:59 p.m. PST on March 29 that was first teased in February.
This minute-long video showcases some of the asymmetric gameplay of one player as The Predator hunting a small band of soldiers in the jungle, as well as customization options for the titular character's weapons, armor, and skill perks. Predator: Hunting Grounds is being developed by IllFonic, the same studio that created a similar one-versus-many-styled game based on an '80s horror franchise with Friday The 13th: The Game in 2017.
The game is not due to hit shelves until late April according to Sony's State of Play announcement last year, so this free trial weekend will be a huge opportunity for players to get hands-on experience and decide whether it will be worth their money. Given the fairly screen-accurate looking portrayal of hunting as The Predator seen in this trailer, as well as the promise of cross-play support between PS4 and PC in the video description, there's a good chance it will be.
The Predator franchise has continuously seen reboots since its first bout of movies in the '80s and '90s, the most recent of which being Shane Black's The Predator in 2018. However, none have been quite as iconic and memorable as the original starring Schwarzenegger. The actor-turned-politician recently said he provided voice work for a Predator-based video game, but it was unclear if he was referring to IllFonic's upcoming title.
Outside of its own starring roles, The Predator has made lots of appearances in different video games as a result of this long-running popularity. One example was its inclusion in the team-based shooter Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands back in 2017.
As the current console generation comes to an end, Sony is continuing to release a number of games for the PlayStation 4 that should keep players busy as its successor the PS5 finds its feet. Predator: Hunting Grounds is one of many to look forward to, so it should be worth checking out the free demo this weekend.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is set to release on April 24th, 2020 for PC and PS4.