Though Halo Infinite was the first game to be fully showcased, State of Decay 3 was the first announced at the Xbox Games Showcase for the upcoming Xbox Series X. The cinematic teaser trailer showed fans a terrifying zombified deer, but left many still wondering about the new title’s gameplay itself.
While the teaser hinted at the return of the day and night cycle from State of Decay 2, Undead Labs has also revealed that State of Decay 3 isn’t in full development yet. Fans may have to wait some time for their next slice of zombie survival-horror, but the question remains as to whether the third game will be open world like State of Decay 2.
State of Decay's Open World History
Since the release of the first game for Xbox 360 and PC back in 2013, the State of Decay games have mostly been about exploring a large map to find supplies to protect the player’s base, fighting the different types of zombies that get in the way.
While the first game was met with positive reviews, State of Decay 2’s bigger sandbox was not met without criticism by some fans. Many found the map in the second game to be repetitive and monotonous, so many fans of the series are likely hoping that State of Decay 3 can provide a more dynamic open world if it goes in that direction.
If the snowy forests of the teaser trailer are anything to go by, players will likely be able to explore a variety of environments, or at least experience different kinds of weather in the upcoming game. This combined with the day and night cycle from State of Decay 2 could make for a terrifyingly immersive zombie apocalypse experience if done correctly.
State of Decay 3's teaser doesn’t give fans of the series much information, but hints heavily that the game will include infected animals like the deer shown in the cinematic trailer. This suggests hunting mechanics, perhaps similar to those in games like Red Dead Redemption 2, which could hint that Undead Labs is going to be more ambitious when populating its open world than the series’ second outing.
State of Decay's Future
If State of Decay 3 is going to have an immersive open world, it needs to avoid some of the pitfalls of its predecessors. Many players felt the size of the world in the second game was not matched by the amount there was to actually do in that world. Most of the game’s exploration involved finding the many different items needed to sustain the player's base, frustrating fans who felt like they were ticking off items on a shopping list rather than experiencing the thrill of surviving a zombie apocalypse.
State of Decay 2’s story also left some fans disappointed when the game was released in 2018, with many players finding that they did not have the same attachment to the other characters as in the first game, making the risk of their permanent deaths less engaging. If State of Decay 3 is going to haven an open world, the game is also going to have to make sure its characters and collectibles don’t feel spread thin over that larger landscape, and that there are plenty of new ways to engage with the environment.
For now, however, the only real detail released for the game is that it will be available for download on PC and the Xbox Series X. With State of Decay 3 still in pre-production, however, that could be a long way off.
It’s clear that expanding the size of the world didn’t do State of Decay 2 all the favors the developers hoped it would. It is very likely, however, that the third game will have an open world while trying to address some of the criticisms of the second game, attempting to synthesize the tight survival horror of State of Decay 1 with the scale of State of Decay 2 to create a game that, hopefully, could restore the franchise to acclaim.
State of Decay 3 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.