Dead Island 2 is Still Alive and Coming Out Next Year: What that Means for the Series
Fans of the Dead Island franchise have been eagerly awaiting a new installment in the series. However, many have begun to lose hope that the game would ever see the light of day. That is until this morning, when an Amazon listing accidently went live, revealing a first look and new details about the game. According to the listing, the game will be an open-world zombie survival game set in LA. This is sure to excite fans of the series who have been waiting for a new game for years. The supposed release date for the game will be February 3, 2023 and will retail for $70. This is the game’s description according to the listing:
“A deadly virus is spreading across Los Angeles, California, turning its inhabitants into ravenous zombies. The city is in quarantine, and the military has retreated. Bitten, infected, but more than just immune, you learn to harness the zombie inside. Only you, and the handful of other swaggering fellows who happen to be resistant to the pathogen, hold the future of LA (and humanity), in the balance. As you uncover the truth behind the outbreak, you’ll discover who – or what – you are. Survive, evolve, save the world – just another day in LA! The much-loved zombie saga is back with a unique formula of horror, dark humor and over-the-top zombie-slaying, spanning an epic pulp adventure. Dead Island 2 is a thrilling First-Person Action RPG that takes players across a brand-new playground. Stylish, vibrant and flooded with zombie infection, explore iconic, gore-drenched Los Angeles. Meet larger-than-life characters. Slay countless foes in exquisitely bloody detail. And evolve to become the ultimate Zombie Slayer. See you in HELL-A!”
The Story of Dead Island 2’s Development and Where it Came From
Dead Island 2 was the sequel to the 2011 video game Dead Island. The game was announced in late 2014 and was set to be released in 2015. At first, Techland was going to make the sequel since they made Dead Island 1. However, they instead focused on thier own IP, Dying Light, which went on to become a major hit. After a successful pitch from Yager Developement to Publisher Deep Silver, they were then giving the reins.
Yager Development, who had previously worked on Spec Ops: The Line had alot of great ideas for the game but they were soon dropped by Deep Silver for another unknown publisher in 2015 because, “Yager and Deep Silver’s respective visions of the project fell out of alignment”.
From 2016 to 2018 development on the project was in the hands of UK-based studio, Sumo Digital. There past works include mostly racing games such as Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, F1 2009, and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. Sumo Digital also made LittleBigPlanet 3 and went on to make the lambasted Crackdown 3.
They were eventually dropped from the project in 2019 and development changed hands to Dambuster Studios.
The game’s development cycle is an interesting one, and it tells a lot about how the video game industry has changed over the years. For example, Dead Island 2 went through four different publishers before finally being stuck in development hell in 2016 because of poor sales of its predecessor, Dead Island: Riptide.
We don’t know why the supposed release date and Amazon link leaked but it sure has us excited to get back to bashing some zombies!
