Turok: Origins Bets on Co-op to Win Over a New Generation of Gamers

Saber is banking on multiplayer to make its long-dormant dinosaur-killing franchise relevant to a generation that never heard of Turok. The developer is pushing co-op play as the central hook for its upcoming Turok: Origins, telling IGN at gamescom 2026 that playing with friends has become essential for younger audiences. The studio has deliberately built the game around that social appeal while still honoring the original N64 shooter for longtime fans.

For many veterans, Turok is a defining N64 first-person shooter, a dinosaur-hunting alternative to Rare’s GoldenEye 007. But for a large swath of today’s players, the name is unfamiliar. Saber’s development chief Tim Willits said the studio has structured the game to satisfy both camps — blending throwback elements for veterans with a modern, visually stunning package for newcomers.

A Balancing Act Between Old and New Fans

Willits described the design process as a careful equilibrium between catering to established players and attracting fresh ones. The game supports both first-person and third-person perspectives, includes signature weapons like the Cerebral Bore, and features dinosaur boss encounters that pay homage to the original Turok experience.

“It’s been a balancing act to make sure that we had enough elements in it to make guys like you happy, like the Cerebral [Bore] gun, some throwbacks to the original Turok player, some other elements,” Willits said. “You can play first-person or third-person. So we want guys like you to be like, ‘Oh, this is cool.’ And then the dinosaur bosses are awesome.”

Tim Willits, Saber

At the same time, the team is targeting players who have never touched a Turok title. Willits pointed to his own 22-year-old children, who have never heard of the franchise, as proof of the market. The result is a game that can be enjoyed solo or with one or two friends, with a strong visual presentation and polished gameplay meant to draw in new audiences.

“But we also want to make sure that we can get fans who have never played a Turok game. Like my kids, they’re 22, they have never even heard of Turok. So we want to also build a game that looks amazing, plays great. You can play it by yourself or with one friend or two friends. We want to appeal to new players that have never played a Turok game as well.”

Tim Willits, Saber

“That’s been our guiding principle with Turok,” Willits added. “Add things that people like you would appreciate and like, but build a game that could be attractive to new players.”

Co-op as the Industry’s Dominant Force

The studio’s strategy reflects a broader shift across the video game industry. While single-player titles remain hugely popular, social and “hangout” games have generated and continue to generate billions of dollars. Battle royales such as PUBG and Fortnite were built on groups of friends chatting while playing, and the COVID lockdowns accelerated the demand for games as social spaces, with Call of Duty’s Warzone an early beneficiary.

Extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov and, more recently, Arc Raiders, were similarly fueled by friends playing together, as was a large share of Helldivers 2’s appeal. The rise of “friendslop” games — including Roblox clones on Steam — and Bulkhead’s hit shooter Wardogs further underscore the trend. Wardogs boss Joe Brammer recently argued that the magic lies in giving players freedom rather than constraining them, describing the game as closer to Mecca Chameleon than Call of Duty.

“I truly believe it is not about the mode, it’s about letting players run wild,” Brammer recently tweeted. “The more you constrain players the less fun it is, FPS games are social experiences and Wardogs is closer to Mecca Chameleon than COD.”

Joe Brammer, Bulkhead

Turok: Origins is not a battle royale or a direct comparison to Wardogs, but it does let teams of three players join up to shoot dinosaurs. Think Space Marine 2, except instead of Tyranids you’re blasting dinosaurs with lasers.

Looking Ahead

Willits emphasized that co-op is not just a feature but a deliberate response to how younger players consume games. He noted that today’s youth use video games as a form of social connection in ways that older players did not, since they grew up in different eras.

Tim Willits, Saber

“Because young people use video games as a social connection more so than you and I did, because we grew up in different times. And so it looks great, play is fun. The Echoes [you collect Echoes to unlock Turok powers] are amazing. The boss runs are sweet and you can play with your friends. So I feel it has those elements that will attract new people.”

As Turok: Origins approaches release, Saber’s message is clear: the dinosaur-killing reboot will win over both nostalgic veterans and first-time players by making shared play a core pillar of the experience.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.