Dead Island 2 Is Still In The Works As A "Kick-Ass Zombie Game"

Dead Island 2's development cycle has been something of an odyssey since it was announced at E3 during a Sony press conference more than five years ago, but the highly anticipated sequel to Deep Silver's 2011 survival horror/action RPG is still very much in development. Thankfully, the game's publisher is confident the final product will prove to be worth the wait for fans, too.

The original game was developed by Techland, the studio behind Dying Light and Call of Juarez, and was a big hit upon release, moving more than five million units. An expansion - Dead Island: Riptide - and definitive collections have since followed. Additionally, a MOBA spin-off of Dead Island was in the works at one point as well. Still, there has continued to be high demand for a mainline sequel. Preliminary work on a proper follow-up began in 2012, but Deep Silver has gone through a revolving door of developers as it worked to bring a second installment of Dead Island to light. Techland, Yager and Sumo Digital all had a go with Dead Island 2 before THQ Nordic/Koch Media (Deep Silver's parent companies) brought the game in-house with Dambuster Studios.

In speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Koch Media CEO Dr. Klemens Kundratitz indicated the Dead Island franchise is an important property for the company and that getting the second main entry in the series right is a top priority. For him, the final product will ultimately push away any angst or concern fans have felt over the game's strange journey it took in the background. Said Kundratitz:

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"It's a great story to tell everyone that it's on its third studio, but we like to be judged on the end result and we're really confident that when it comes out it's going to be a kick-ass zombie game. We'll certainly give it all our power."

A "kick-ass" zombie game would undoubtedly appease longtime fans of the franchise. Imperfect though it was in terms of depth, story and technical polish, the original Dead Island certainly had the fun factor players were looking, especially if tearing down hordes of undead monsters with a variety of weapons in an open world environment was their scene. Following those guidelines, Koch and Deep Silver look to be in touch with what made Dead Island a hit in the first place and are committed to creating a similar experience with Dead Island 2.

Delays are rarely well-received by gamers, but in the end the most important aspect of any game's development is that publishers and developers are given the time to get things right. With Dead Island 2 and other long-awaited sequels like the upcoming TimeSplitters game and Shenmue III (which will drop on November 19) it would seem Deep Silver is aiming to do just that. At the least, Kundratitz is saying the right things in the press and lending credence to the notion a Dead Island sequel is still forthcoming and definitely not stuck in development.