It's been six years since the sequel to the hit 2011 zombie-slaying title, Dead Island , was first announced at Sony's 2014 E3 briefing. In contrast with the original title's Papua New Guinea island setting, Dead Island 2 was revealed to be taking the franchise to California, with the title set to take place across three locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and an unannounced third location.
In an alpha gameplay showcase at 2014's Gamescom, the publisher, Deep Silver, confirmed the sequel would feature new combat mechanics to its predecessor while bringing back its classic rage and crafting systems alongside several new features.
However, with five years of no mention and multiple new Deep Silver titles releasing since — including Dying Light — most had given up hope and assumed the project to be dead in the water, until now...
NEWS
In response to a Twitter commenter claiming the highly anticipated title was “not coming,” Deep Silver confirmed that is, in fact, not the case, and Dead Island 2 is still on the way.
We wouldn't be so sure about that! 😉
When pushed for further details regarding the production, Deep Silver refused to comment, saying they're "not quite ready to talk " yet:
We're not quite ready to talk about the latest Dead Island just yet, but when we do, you'll see it here!
WHAT THIS MEANS
Fans have been pressing Deep Silver to offer an update on the highly anticipated title for years now, and the timing of this tease seems odd as the publisher already has one delayed title under their belt; Dying Light 2 has been delayed indefinitely from its intended Spring 2020 release window.
With the Game Awards — an event known for surprise announcements — coming up next week, it's entirely possible Deep Silver could be gearing up to reveal a look at Dead Island 2 sooner rather than later.
The game is sure to have seen many changes and graphic upgrades since it was last shown as an entire console generation has now passed, and the standard for a next-gen title has only grown higher.
As of now, Deep Silver's upcoming Dying Light 2 has no new release date. However, it is likely to arrive in 2021. With the publisher unlikely to release two titles in one year, fans will likely be waiting a while to finally get their hands on Dead Island 2 .
