'Wild' trailer: Walk with, or as, the animals

Set 10,000 years in the past, "Wild" takes place at a time when humans and animals roamed the earth together.

Set 10,000 years in the past, 'Wild' takes place at a time when humans and animals roamed the earth together.

In terms of the play-as-animal concept, there's overlap with the badger and lynx cub rustling of 'Shelter' and the upcoming 'Shelter 2,' with quirky 2012 PlayStation 3 release 'Tokyo Jungle,' which has a Japan-without-humans as its backdrop, and with tantalizing, deer-based MMO 'The Endless Forest.'

And though the 'Wild' trailer functions as more of a teaser than a comprehensive exposition of its mechanics, it's clear that the new venture hinges not just on luscious visuals derived from the PS4's hardware power, but on the title's status as a massively multiplayer game.

'Our concept is based on experiencing new features each time you play,' game director Michel Ancel told the Gamescom audience.

'Our game features an open world, potentially as big as Europe, we have dynamic weather and seasons, and a very special feature: Not only can you play as humans, but you can also play as any living creature [in] the game.'

Know for his work on Ubisoft's Rayman franchise -- most recently 'Rayman Origins' and 'Rayman Legends' -- and still revered for cult favorite adventure 'Beyond Good & Evil,' Ancel co-founded a new independent studio for 'Wild,' with his Wild Sheep crew based in Montpellier, southern France.

'Wild' capped off PlayStation's presentation, and joined a number of platform exclusives for the PS4 including the brooding Victoriana of monster-hunting title 'Bloodborne,' whimsical island adventure 'Ryme,' the exploits of a superpowered everyday woman in 'Infamous: First Light,' and the papercraft-inspired 'Tearaway Unfolded.'