Video game development can be anything but straightforward. For every game that wraps up in time for its release, there's another that faces delay after delay, internal issues, or other difficulties that mean it could be canceled before it even has the chance to launch. Some series also seem to have worse luck than others, if Deep Silver's Dead Island franchise is anything to go by. First released in 2011, the original Dead Island was subjected to delays that meant five years passed from its announcement to its release, and subsequent titles have been canceled or faced similar troubles.
However, that's nothing in comparison to the series' newest entry. Initially meant to be released in 2015, players have only now been given an official release date for Dead Island 2, the follow-up to Dead Island and its standalone DLC sequel. For many years, fans were worried Dead Island 2 would never come out due to the complete lack of updates. Now that Dead Island 2 is confirmed to be launching early next year, it's interesting to see the parallels in its troubled development and the original Dead Island's, which may make fans a little nervous.
Rising From The Dead
Interest in the long-awaited Dead Island 2 was piqued recently thanks to a trailer for Goat Simulator 3 which parodied an early trailer for the game, and player patience was finally rewarded during Gamescom with a brand-new trailer and a launch date. Gamescom has been the source of several surprise announcements and exciting reveals this year, and any gamers worried about receiving news in the absence of big shows like E3 need not have worried. Although rumors have swirled around Dead Island 2 recently, especially after Goat Simulator 3's unmistakable nod to the zombie title, the confirmation that it was on the way was an unexpected bonus for many fans.
Even though players should expect to get their hands on Dead Island 2 in February next year, there is still some apprehension about how it will turn out. Overly long development cycles are never particularly a good thing, especially when the game has changed hands a few times and experienced a number of delays. With Dead Island 2's big announcement during E3 2014, fans were immediately excited to carry on the zombie-killing fun in the new California setting, but things quickly went downhill for the game's development. It seems Yager's ideas for Dead Island 2 didn't match up to Deep Silver's, and the companies parted ways.
This can be interpreted a number of ways, and it didn't necessarily mean that Dead Island 2 in Yager's hands was in any way a bad game, but when titles change developers a few times, the vision can get a little messy and the focus of the games can become convoluted. By the time Dead Island 2 finally comes out, it will almost be ten years since its original planned release, and a lot has happened in that time. Fans will be hoping that the rollercoaster ride that the game has already been on won't affect it in negative ways, but it remains to be seen how well its survived its development phase.
Parallels To Dead Island's Development
Dead Island had its own problems before it launched in 2011, and while it received mixed reviews from critics, it did find its fans among survival horror enthusiasts. Its mixture of an idyllic holiday resort on the fictional island of Banoi and the violence and gore of a typical zombie-infested action RPG proved to be a creative combination, but the game was still littered with bugs and technical issues. It seemed as if Dead Island couldn't quite deliver on the hype it generated with its cinematic and incredibly emotive announcement trailer released in 2006, and the game suffered as a result.
The trailer courted controversy with its depiction of a dead child, but many felt that it was an impressive showcase of what they hoped the game could achieve. However, Dead Island focused more on the different ways that the undead could be violently dispatched rather than presenting an emotionally resonant story, and some felt the announcement trailer was misleading. This was just the first of Dead Island's problems, as delay after delay pushed its initial release date in 2008 back several years, much like Dead Island 2's. Both Dead Island and the upcoming Dead Island 2 were stuck in development hell for a long time, and while the first game came out a little worse for wear as a result, fans still have high hopes for the newest entry.
Dead Island 2 launches on February 3, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.