Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… feveloper and publisher Tripwire Interactive and co-development partner Demiurge Studios made a splash during today’s Sony State of Play with the debut trailer for Maneater 2,announcing that the sequel to the 2020 eat ‘em up sensation and gaming’s first open-world action-RPG starring a shark (shARkPG) is currently in development for the PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. Since the release of the original Maneater in 2020 and the official DLC, Maneater: Truth Quest in 2021, the Maneater franchise has amassed over 20 million players from across the globe. Now the queen of the sea is back, joined once again by disgraced reality TV host and narrator, Trip Westhaven (voiced by Chris Parnell – Saturday Night Live, Rick and Morty, Archer) to eat, explore, evolve and escape from Neptune’s Kingdom. Maneater 2 will launch in 2027 and is currently available to Wishlist on applicable platforms.

“The incredible response we received to Maneater has always made it clear that players are hungry for more and we’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to deliver a true sequel,” said Matt LoPilato, CEO at Tripwire. “We’re thrilled to be working alongside our friends at Demiurge to bring the next chapter in the series to life with Maneater 2 and we can’t wait to share more about our plans for the franchise in the months ahead.”

Tripwire is partnering with Boston-based developer, Demiurge Studios in a co-dev relationship that will leverage the creativity, expertise and technological know-how of both groups to ensure that Maneater 2 will be a more immersive and visceral experience than ever before. Environments offer a new level of fidelity and authenticity as rays of sunlight realistically diffuse through water and underwater ecosystems benefit from enhanced NPC behaviors of prey and predators alike, while the meticulous art direction of the game world will bring Neptune’s Kingdom to life (and death) in spectacular fashion.

“We’re huge fans of Maneater here at Demiurge and we’re incredibly excited to sink our teeth into this project with the team at Tripwire,” noted Kurt Reiner, CEO at Demiurge. “The original game did an amazing job of letting gamers live out the power fantasy of ruling open waters as an apex predator and we’re ready to help take that experience to the next level in Maneater 2.”

Maneater 2 takes players to the depths of Neptune’s Kingdom, a five-star, luxury theme park and resort where the splendor and opulence of the Roman Empire lives on, but not for long. Crash an exclusive, invite-only preview event hosting the world’s most followed, and most delicious, influencers and media luminaries. Fascinating evolutions are occurring under the surface as a byproduct of the park’s highly-advanced Marine Research efforts to build attractions that push technological, natural, and ethical, boundaries. For the average human, Neptune’s Kingdom is the theme park of their dreams. For the bull shark, it’s a fully realized aquatic sandbox with secrets to uncover, courses and currents to traverse, dangers to overcome and an all-you-can-eat VIP buffet.

Key Features

• Eat: Dominate the top of the food chain and gorge on the five-star global cuisine in Neptune’s Kingdom. Feast upon wild-caught delicacies from the bustling marine ecosystem throughout the park grounds including pufferfish, jumbo crab, piranha, grouper and more, shall we say, unique offerings. Make sure to try the human, it’s delicious.
• Explore: The open world is the player’s oyster. Take in the monumental architecture, make a killing on a thrill ride, grab a snack at Mojitodal and discover the secrets lurking in the deep.
• Evolve: Marine research and conservation efforts at Neptune’s Kingdom’s aren’t just a great corporate tax break, they’re good for other things as well. What if humanity could provide the ecosystem with genetically modified tools to protect itself? With five different genetic modifications under their belt already, the park’s industry-leading bioengineers are pushing the ethical boundaries of science daily.
• Escape: Behind Neptune’s Kingdom’s lavish facade is a disaster waiting to happen. It’s time to tip the scales back in nature’s favor. Mount an attempt to escape this fortress of scientific malpractice and corporate greed, all with the dubious help and one-sided commentary of disgraced reality TV host, Trip Westhaven (Chris Parnell).

Check out the trailer and then tell us what you think on Bluesky and Twitter. Are you excited to play Maneater 2?