Dead Island 2: news, rumors, and everything we know so far
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Dead Island 2 appears to be alive and kicking. Eight years after its initial announcement, the much-anticipated and long-delayed zombie looks to finally be crawling out of its grave.
Many series fans had suspected Dead Island 2 would forever be stuck in development hell, as ownership of the sequel flipped back and forth between developers. But it now looks more likely than ever that the zombie-bashing follow-up is finally on track to hit shelves.
While the game hasnāt yet been officially revealed, an Amazon listing page appeared earlier this month, hinting at much of the gameās content, and even suggesting a Dead Island 2 release date. It looks like youāll be sent to Los Angeles to beat hordes of undead ghouls with a variety of weapons, tools, and characters.
There are still plenty of details weāre yet to hear about, and weāre hoping a good chunk of them will appear at Gamescom 2022. Given the gameās recent appearance online, we suspect developer Dambuster Studios is gearing up for a full announcement sometime soon and the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022 showcase would be the perfect opportunity. So make sure to check out our guide on how to watch Opening Night Live so you can catch the biggest announcements as they happen.
Want to know more about the long-awaited survival horror sequel? Read on for everything we know so far about Dead Island 2.Ā
Dead Island 2: cut to the chase
- What is it? The long-delayed sequel to the melee-focused zombie hit Dead Island
- When can I play it? TBC, but likely February 23, 2023
- What can I play it on? PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC
Dead Island 2 release date and platforms
Dambuster hasnāt officially revealed a Dead Island 2 release date, but thereās good reason to think itās coming early next year. The Amazon store page that originally leaked the gameās announcement lists a release date of February 23, 2023. Thatās specific enough to likely not be a placeholder.
Fans will be waiting with bated breath. The development of Dead Island 2 has switched hands twice since the sequel was originally announced eight years ago, leaving players disappointed in the past. It was first under development at Yager, the same studio that created Spec Ops: The Line, and was originally scheduled to release in 2015. But it never materialized.Ā
In 2016, it was announced that development had passed over to Sumo Digital. Three years later, the game changed studios again, with Dambuster announcing it had taken over work on the game. Since then, weāve largely been in the dark about Dead Island 2ās development. Fingers crossed that it makes it past the finish line this time around.
As for platforms, it looks as if Dead Island 2 will be coming to new- and old-gen consoles. So expect to find it on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC
Dead Island 2 gameplay and story
Details of Dead Island 2ās gameplay are slim, but, thanks to the aforementioned Amazon listing leak, we have a few morsels of information to chew on until the game gets a full reveal.
The screenshots on the gameās listing page suggest it will continue the seriesā emphasis on melee fighting. Expect to be smacking zombies with clubs and baseball bats, rather than unloading magazines from assault rifles. Although thereāll still be plenty of gore. The Amazon blurb says the gameās combat will deliver āthe most intense, visceral and gory first-person experience possibleā.
Youāll have a variety of weapons to choose between, the blurb claims, offering different tactical advantages, as well as six playable characters to pick from. Each character ā or Slayer, as they appear to be called ā can be outfitted with different abilities and skills. The blurb claims that youāll be able to re-spec them instantly to ātry out the craziest buildsā, and the day-one DLC mentioned on Amazon suggests theyāll be cosmetic pieces to dress them up with, too.
Of course, theyāll be ādozens of distinct zombie types, each with their own mutations, attacks, and hundreds of LA-themed variantsā. No word yet on what those variants will look like, though.
Dead Island 2ās story is still a bit of a mystery, although it sounds as if youāll play as a survivor of a deadly virus thatās wrecked Los Angeles. Banding together with other survivors, youāll try to āuncover the truth behind the outbreakā as you āharness the zombie insideā of yourself.
Dead Island 2 news and rumors
Dead Island 2 release date leaked on Amazon
Dead Island 2 appeared as a listing on Amazon in August, alongside a description, release date, and mock-up of the gameās box. Most of what we currently know about the game comes from that leak.
Dambuster Studios takes over development
Back in 2019, the development of Dead Island 2 was moved from Sumo Digital to Dambuster Studios. No further details were provided at the time, but it did indicate that the sequel was at least still in the works.
What we want to see
Weāve been waiting nearly a decade for Dead Island 2, leaving us plenty of time to think over exactly what it is we want to see from the game. As the thought of a sequel to the cartoonishly dark zombie brawler has festered in our minds, our expectations have grown bewilderingly high, tempered only by the gameās beleaguered development process. We might not know exactly what Dead Island 2 will look like, but that hasnāt stopped us from daydreaming.
For starters, we expect itāll continue the first gameās focus on melee combat. The original Dead Island tried to set itself apart from other zombie games of the times by placing much emphasis on makeshift handheld weapons that could be upgraded with mods youād find across the island. Although guns could be found, ammo was limited, so youād spend most of our time bashing the undead with nail-filled baseball bats, or electrified hammers.
The leaked screenshots of Dead Island 2 suggest the sequel will follow that trend. The player can be seen carrying a wrench thatās been modded with a spiked wheel, and what looks like a homemade stun baton. Weāll have to wait and see the variety of weapons and upgrades on offer.
Weād also love to see Dead Island 2 lean into the seriesā humor. The original was hardly serious, and at its best when it embraced the colorful ridiculousness of fighting hordes of zombies in a tropical paradise. Hopefully, the sequel takes that even further, forgoing the hamfisted melodramatic narrative in favor of some good old-fashioned ghoul thumping.