Dead Island 2 release date, trailers, gameplay and news
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Dead Island 2 has been in development for an unusually long time, first being revealed in 2014. Since then, it’s gone through multiple changes, even jumping back and forth between different studios as it’s worked on. Thankfully, it looks like it will indeed be launching this year. Anyway, here’s hoping.
From what we’ve seen, Dead Island 2 is exactly what you’d expect, as a sequel to the really, really fun Dead Island and its DLCs. This time you’re not on an island at all, but you’re making your way through a post-infection LA. There are six playable characters, hundreds of weapons and even some zombie powers to use against the undead lurking in the streets.
Now that we’ve finally seen what Dead Island 2 will look like at launch, here’s what you need to know about the upcoming zombie game. This includes trailers, a look at the gameplay, and all the latest news and rumours.
Dead Island 2: to the point
- What is it? The long-delayed sequel to Dead Island
- When can I play it? April 28, 2023
- What can I play it on? PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Dead Island 2 trailers
For a long time, the only Dead Island 2 trailer we had was the original reveal movie from 2014. It was appetizing to show a fast-decomposing jogger running along LA’s Venice Beach.
While it didn’t really reveal anything about the game, it set the tone for what to expect from Dead Island 2’s tone.
Skip forward eight years and we now have three new trailers for the open-world zombie survival game. A new film, in the style of the original, that will give you a taste for this apocalyptic version of LA can be viewed below.
But after an eight-year wait between theatrical trailers, it’s understandable that fans might want to see Dead Island 2 in action. Fortunately, developer Dambuster Studios was happy to cooperate and also released a gameplay trailer, showing just how violent this long-awaited sequel will be.
A showcase aired on December 6, 2022, and we received a few minutes of brand new gameplay footage. It was more of the same but showcased some new weapons that can be used to defeat the undead. In addition, zombie skills were shown, allowing the player to use his infection to get into some kind of frenzied state. You can view these below.
Dead Island 2 release date and platforms
Dambuster Studios has delayed Dead Island 2 again. It is now due out on April 28, 2023. This is a 12-week delay from the previous release date. In a Twitter post, which you can view below, the team states that this is now the final release date. We will see.
Fans will be waiting with bated breath. Development on Dead Island 2 has changed hands twice since the sequel was originally announced eight years ago, leaving players disappointed in the past. It was first in development at Yager, the same studio that created Spec Ops: The Line, and was originally slated for release in 2015. But it never materialized.
In 2016, it was announced that development had moved to Sumo Digital. Three years later, the game changed studios again, with Dambuster announcing it had taken over work on the game. Fingers crossed it makes it to the finish line this time.
As for platforms, Dead Island 2 is coming to new and old generation consoles, with PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC all confirmed.
The delay is only 12 short weeks and development is now on the final straight. The new release date for Dead Island 2 is April 28, 2023. #DeadIsland #SeeYouInHELLA pic.twitter.com/Vf1NARTECoNovember 17, 2022
Dead Island 2 gameplay and story
Gameplay
Now that Dead Island 2 has been given a final release date, we’re starting to see more and more gameplay. A few minutes of new gameplay footage was shown in a recent showcase. Melee combat was emphasized, with hammers, knives and homemade equipment. There are also guns in the game, and so far we’ve seen pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles/SMGs.
An interesting mechanic that has been shown off in gameplay trailers is the insane ability. It comes from the zombie bite on your character’s arm and allows them to enter a state where they are temporarily zombified. It looks like a useful tool, one that can tear apart hordes of zombies with ease.
In an interview with PC Gamerscreative director James Worrall revealed that while the game doesn’t have a branching story, the six player characters offer different perspectives.
“Each character has his own voice and his own dialogue,” he said. “So you could get a character who’s particularly driven or energetic or cheerful. You could get another character who’s a little bit more of a cynical person. Some of the characters are quite low-key, subtle. We wrote those characters to reflect broad playstyles to give. “
As for the zombies, there will be variety too, with Dambuster confirming that there will be “dozens of different kinds of zombies, each with their own mutations, attacks, and hundreds of LA-themed variants.”
In a preview of the game, IGN touched on the game’s ‘FLESH’ system, or ‘Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids’, which “procedurally rips zombies apart on every attack” and makes the game a truly gory experience. We got a glimpse of that ourselves in the trailer.
When it comes to combat, IGN said the game “encourages constant movement, with dodging, kicking and jumping all integral parts” and that while there’s a stamina system, it’s not punishingly restrictive, allowing you to “experiment with a variety of different techniques”.
Story
Dead Island 2’s story is still a bit of a mystery, though it sounds like you’re playing as a survivor of a deadly virus that has devastated Los Angeles. Together with other survivors, you try to “discover the truth behind the outbreak” while “using the zombie in you”.
As part of that partnership, Dead Island 2 will support single-player gameplay, but there will also be a co-op mode, where up to three players can participate. However, we still have a lot to learn about how the co-op will work.
Playable characters
There are six playable characters at launch. We’ve seen four so far. There’s Amy a Paralympian, Dani, a moshpit-loving rock star, Jacob, an English stuntman, and finally Ryan, an exotic dancer from Fresno.
Dead Island 2 News and Rumors
Dead Island 2 Showcase shown in December
In addition to the news of a delay, a gameplay showcase was revealed for Dead Island 2. It took place on December 6, 2022. You can check it out via the links in the Tweet below.
Can’t wait to show you more on December 6:- our Twitch channel: https://t.co/4H3F7wbjIh- our YouTube channel: https://t.co/xW0cNwjmS7- our website: https: //t. co/Erh4Juv3fJNovember 17, 2022
Dead Island 2 consulted a diversity council for a more “representative” LA
During a recent interview with Dead Island 2 developer Dambuster Studios, art director Adam Olsson shared The equipment (opens in new tab) explained how they tackled their version of Los Angeles. While there are more comedic exaggerations, such as Hell-A’s Muscle Beach featuring bodybuilder zombies, Olsson confirmed that decisions were made after speaking with Dambuster’s diversity council.
“It was a really interesting exercise to try and unravel what makes something LA and what stands out as a really unique LA experience. “We were very careful about anything that would feel like a hurtful stereotype and so we have a diversity council in the studio that helps us understand if we pushed something too far,” explains Olsson.
“The council has been working closely with us to make sure we set a good tone as we want to make sure we bring Dead Island 2 into the 21st century. We want to be contemporary and representative.”
Alexa Game Control Integration
Dead Island 2 comes with an interesting feature: Alexa Game Control. Alexa Game Control, announced at Gamescom 2022, will give PC and console players the ability to use voice commands to make things happen in the game. You don’t need an Amazon Echo device or an Amazon Prime account to use it. In fact, you don’t have to say “Alexa” either. All you need is “any microphone or headset” connected to your PC or console and a standard Amazon account associated with the game.
According to an Amazon blog post (opens in new tab), with Alexa Game Control you can say things like “where’s the nearest workbench” and “trade to my best weapon” during gameplay to do things like find the nearest workbench and, er, trade to your best weapon. The post even mentions that you can “manipulate hordes of zombies” just by saying “hey zombie”.
Dead Island 2 will be the first game to support the feature and the FAQ (opens in new tab) reveals that it will be available in English in North America on PC and Xbox at launch, with more regions, languages and maybe even platforms in the future.
Dambuster Studios is taking over development
In 2019, 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 at least the sequel was still in the works.