Dead Island studio Deep Silver has suggested their anticipated first-person sequel is still on the way in a short but sweet Twitter response.
Dead Island 2 was mentioned once more by a fan responding to Deep Silver’s Twitter promotion for Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell. But this time, an official response simply stated “We wouldn’t be so sure about that,” as another user stated the zombie sequel was dead in the ice. The response alone spurred excitement from fans for a new Dead Island game since the original was released in 2011. The series would later spawn a shorter Riptide standalone DLC in 2013 and third person action-adventure Escape Dead Island in 2014.
Dead Island 2 had long been in the works from Deep Silver after it was announced at E3 2014, featuring a lighthearted trailer which showed a new zombie outbreak happen in a sun-bathed California. The game would also be a direct continuation set months after players survived Banoi Island. But the project would be shelved following a studio shift with Yager Development and Deep Silver attempted to outsource the title in 2015. Since then, fans were able to catch a glimpse of Dead Island 2 through early E3 demoes and other screenshots when it was announced. Earlier in 2020, a leaked build from Yager Development was uploaded online while players could actually try out undercooked portions of Dead Island 2.
Like its predecessor, the sequel would take on a first-person view with players relying on melee combat. It takes a page from Dead Rising for resource-heavy crafting and mechanical survival skills. Players could also level up with a skill tree and unlock more abilities which increase stamina. In true open-world fashion, survivors can also give players choices and side quests to complete. These vary from saving other survivors, to reactivating generators and unlocking special supply caches. Much of Dead Island 2 will center around four brand new characters with their own unique ultimate abilities and perks which affect the entire game. Earlier reports from Deep Silver would also include a bigger eight-player cooperative mode.
It’s still unknown when an official update or new release window would be given for Dead Island 2, though the simple tweet by Deep Silver suggests fans should keep their eyes peeled for 2021 and beyond.