Dead Island 2 isn't dead

(Image credit: Koch Media)

Good news, zombie fans - Dead Island 2 isn't dead!

As Heather explained a few months back, development of the highly-anticipated sequel has changed hands a multitude of times since Dead Island 2 first came to light. Initially led by the original creators of Dead Island, Techland dropped out to work on an entirely new zombie number by the name of Dying Light

Yager Development then took up the helm and even put the game on show for the first time at E3 back in 2014, before passing it on to Sumo Digital in 2016. Since August 2019, however, development has been sitting with UK based Dambuster Studios, who worked on titles such as Homefront: Revolution.

Since then, however, things have gone dead quiet once again, so in an interview with Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz, GI.biz asked what was happening with the zombie sequel. And though it's tempting to fear the worse about the sequel's languishing past, Kundratitz says the numerous delays are simply "testimony" of the publisher's desire to "get it right".

"My favourite question," Kundratitz said when quizzed for an update. "Look, Dead Island is a very important brand for us and we've got to get it right. It's just a testimony of our dedication to get it right.

"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."

Sadly, the interview didn't reveal much more than that, so we're not clearer on when, finally, we might be able to jump into Dead Island 2. But good to know it's not entirely dead just yet, right?

Find out why Alex came out more confused than before when he tried to find out just what on earth was going on with Dead Island 2.

Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.