Dev Behind Shark Simulator Maneater Says Xbox Series X's SSD Is Very Impressive

Among the 30+ games that will be optimized for Xbox Series X at launch is the million-seller Maneater, which is basically a Jaws simulator where you are a shark and you try to do as much damage as possible.

David Amata, a product director at developer Tripwire Interactive, spoke to Xbox Wire about the benefits of the extra horsepower in the console. Amata said the speed of the Series X's SSD, in particular, has impressed him.

"The speed of the SSD inside the Xbox Series X cannot be understated," Amata said. "It has allowed us the freedom to make the world of Maneater even more visually impressive, helped us cut down on load times, and even helped to increase the draw distance."

Another priority for Tripwire was raytracing support, which will come to the game by way of an update. Amata said this "really adds another layer to make the water appear even more lifelike."

Overall, Amata said of the next-gen Maneater experience, "The draw distances are farther, load times are shorter, light behaves in brand new ways, and much more."

Maneater also supports Smart Delivery on Xbox, meaning people who have already bought the game for Xbox One will get the next-gen improvements at no extra cost. Amata said that he's glad to be able to do so.

"Being able to guarantee that our game will upgrade along with the players' upgrade to an Xbox Series X is such a great innovation that ensures we won’t be nickel and diming our fans while we continue to grow Maneater's fanbase with its next-gen version," Amata said.

For what it's worth, PS5 players are also getting Maneater's next-gen improvements for free.

We scored the game a 7/10 in our Maneater review, saying, "With the sharply written, hilariously delivered narration and story beats to freshen up the experience as you go along, Maneater becomes a goofy, fish-flopping romp, with a good balance of limbs to sever, boats to wreck, and challenging creatures to render into bite-sized chunks."