Dead Island Zombie Bait Edition

After exploding onto the scene with one of the best game trailers of 2012, developer Techland is pushing to make itself a bigger name in the gaming industry. A great looking cinematic trailer and a reasonable price for its new game, Dead Island: Riptide, can only help. Techland's publisher, Deep Silver, has just announced two different limited edition bundles for Dead Island: Riptide, but gamers in the UK are soon to discover that their edition is a little controversial.

The first Dead Island already caused enough controversy when some misogynistic code was uncovered by apt Steam users. Purna, a female character from the game, has a skill entitled Gender Wars which gains her bonus damage against men. In the code for this, however, this skill is called "FeministWhorePurna," which is just about as offensive as gender-related purgatory can get.

You'd think that Deep Silver would be more careful after sexist ideology accidentally trickled out of one of its studios (even if it was limited to just one programmer), but apparently releasing a bust of a bikini-clad women's torso as part of the UK limited edition of Dead Island: Riptide strikes the publisher as a good idea. The statue is an impressively-sized 31 by 18 centimeters and is supposed to represent a "grotesque take on an iconic Roman marble torso sculpture," but we're not sure that a beaten, bloody, bikini-clad midriff is something most gamers would want on their shelves. The questionably titled Zombie Bait edition of Riptide, which contains the statue, is limited to the United Kingdom and will retail for around $160. It also includes a steel bookcase for the game, a series of weapon mods, and collectible artwork cards.

Mere hours after revealing the Zombie Bait package, Deep Silver apologized for the statue, stating through Twitter that it deeply regrets the choice, and is committed to ensuring that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. The publisher hasn't stated whether the Zombie Bait Limited Edition will still be released, but it's good to know Deep Silver is listening to fans across the globe.

Dead Island Riptide Rigor Mortis Edition

On a less-offensive note, Deep Silver has also revealed a less controversial Dead Island: Riptide limited edition bundle which will come to North and Latin America. The objects included in the bundle are all community-voted, with only the most-wanted items included. It's a great idea in concept and seems to be the polar opposite of the game's UK edition - favoring many collectible items instead of one giant bust. Included in the plainly-titled Rigor Mortis Edition are the following objects:

  • Bloody Zombie Arm Bottle Opener Magnet
  • Bungalow Key (with branded wood keychain)
  • Zombie Hula Girl Bobble Figurine
  • Dead Island: Riptide Special Edition (with extra DLC)
  • Dead Island Replica Suitcase

Impressively, even with all the extra physical content, the Rigor Mortis Edition will only run gamers $80, which is exactly half of what they'd be paying for the Zombie Bait edition in the UK.

What do you think, Ranters? Which edition would you rather have? What are your thoughts on the mauled bikini-torso?

Dead Island: Riptide releases April 23rd, 2013, in North America, April 26th in the United Kingdom, for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Sources: Rock Paper Shotgun, Twitter

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