'Dead Island 2' isn't dead, new developer Sumo Digital still on the project

By Gabe Gurwin May 8, 2017

Dead Island 2 E3 Announce Trailer (Official International Version)

Dead Island 2 was originally announced back in 2014, and appeared to be taking the zombie series into even crazier territory, with an irreverent trailer that showed citizens seemingly unfazed by an undead outbreak ravaging California. Since then, new information on the game has been practically nonexistent, publisher Deep Silver is adamant that the game is still progressing as planned.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Deep Silver avoided offering concrete details on Dead Island 2‘s release date, but did confirm that its current developer, Sumo Digital, is still on the project.

“Dead Island 2 is in development at Sumo Digital, and we are excited by the progress the team are making with Deep Silver’s most successful IP. When we are ready to share more information, we will,” the publisher said.

Sumo Digital, which has previously contributed to games like Forza Horizon 2 and led development on LittleBigPlanet 3, took over development on Dead Island 2 in early 2016 following a creative disagreement between Deep Silver and original developer Yager Development of Spec Ops: The Line fame.

The original Dead Island and its pseudo-sequel, Dead Island: Riptide, were developed by Techland, but the developer left the series afterward to focus on the similar Dying Light. The new game was better-received by critics, who praised its parkour system and online multiplayer, while both Dead Island titles were criticized for their lack of polish.

A spinoff game release in late 2014, Escape Dead Island, is among the worst games released on the last generation of consoles. Trading the role-playing and first-person combat elements of the main series, the game instead uses a third-person perspective and stealth elements combined with a comic book-inspired art style that looks like a very poor imitation of Telltale’s The Walking Dead.

Though Dead Island 2 has no release date, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC players can currently pick up Dead Island: Definitive Collection. The bundle contains remastered versions of the original game and Riptide, as well as the new sidescrolling game Dead Island: Retro Revenge.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Dead Island 2: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

soak sunshine slaughter first dead island 2 gameplay screenshot 3

Believe it or not, Dead Island 2 is not only still real, but it's actually coming out. For those who've been following the troubled trajectory this title has had, you know this is a story almost 10 years in the making. Originally revealed in 2014, Dead Island 2 has died and been resurrected no less than twice, with a new development team taking up the project each time. The average person probably assumed the game was scrapped years ago, but for those who never gave up hope, your faith has been rewarded.

Leaks did take some of the excitement out of Dead Island 2's big re-reveal during Gamescom 2022, but it couldn't stifle what looks to be a game far better than its beleaguered history would lead you to believe. Since so much has changed over the course of development, let alone with the entire gaming landscape, plenty of people may be wondering what all the excitement over this zombie game is all about. Grab yourself a blunt object and get ready to smash some zombie skulls as we run through everything we know about Dead Island 2.
Release date

Gaming

Dead Island 2 avoids Star Wars Jedi clash by bumping up its release date

Dead Island 2 zombie

Dead Island 2, a game that never seemed like it was going to come out, has gone gold and even had its release date moved up by a week. Originally slated for April 28, Dead Island 2 will now be released on April 21. That means it'll launch one week before Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which just had its release date pushed to April 28.
The developers of the LA-based zombie game revealed the news via a tweet with a video that highlights a bunch of comments asking if the game was polished and if it will actually ever be released before it confirms that Dead Island 2 has gone gold and is coming out a bit earlier than we currently expected.
https://twitter.com/deadislandgame/status/1625147886643150852
Release dates moving up instead of being delayed are a rarity, with one of the only recent examples being Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Still, the delay makes sense now that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is coming out on April 28. This announcement also feels cathartic after Dead Island 2's rough development. The zombie sequel has notoriously been delayed significantly more than most games. Originally announced in 2014 with a Q2 2015 release window, Dead Island 2 got pushed back again and again, switching developers multiple times and slowly seeming more and more likely to become vaporware.
Deep Silver Dambuster Studios' new version of the game finally reemerged as the big final reveal of Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, but even after that, the game got delayed one more time to April 28. Even if it's moving its release date up by just a week, the fact that Dead Island 2 has gone gold and even moved its release date up a bit feels like the satisfying end to an excruciatingly long journey. Whether it's good or not, we finally don't have to wait much longer to actually play Dead Island 2.
Dead Island 2 will be released for PC, PS4, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on April 21.

Gaming

Dead Island 2 pushed back to April, kicking off 2023’s delay season early

Dead Island 2 zombies

Dambuster studios and Deep Silver have announced that Dead Island 2 has been delayed to April 28, 2023, from its original February 3, 2023, release. The game is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

"The irony of delaying Dead Island 2 is not lost on us, and we are as disappointed as you undoubtedly are," Deep Silver explained in a statement on Twitter. The delay is just 12 short weeks and development is on the final straight now; we’re going to take the time we need to make sure we can launch a game we’re proud to launch."