Dead Island 2 May Finally Release This Year

Dead Island 2 is not only reportedly still happening, but its release date is apparently not very far away. The sequel to 2011's Dead Island was announced back in 2014. Unlike its predecessor -- which was developed by Techland, the Polish studio that would go on to make Dying Light and Dying Light 2 -- Dead Island 2 was being made by Spec Ops: The Line developer Yager Development. However, in 2016, after development issues, the studio was yanked from the game and replaced with Sumo Digital, a team perhaps best known for Crackdown 3, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Team Sonic Racing. Sumo Digital didn't last very long though.  And for a while, it was unclear what was happening with the game until 2019, Dambuster Studios -- a team best known for 2016's Homefront: The Revolution -- was assigned to its development. Since then, we haven't heard much about the project and we've yet to see a re-reveal. 

Unfortunately, we still don't have any official details on the game, but we do have some unofficial details from industry insider and leaker, Tom Henderson. Right at the top, Henderson claims the game's development is in good shape, indicating it's finally actually going to happen. To this end, Henderson claims an official update on the game will be shared in the coming months with a release likely to come sometime between Q4 2022 and early 2023. 

Speaking about the game itself, Henderson adds that it's reportedly very faithful to the first game, though Damuster Studios is making improvements where needed. Adding to this, Henderson claims the setting of the original sequel has been maintained, which is to say it takes place in California across several different locations.

By and large, this is the extent of the report, which has yet to draw any type of response from Dambuster Studios, Deep Silver, or anyone involved with the game. We don't expect this to change for a wide range of reasons, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. 

As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ to talk all things gaming. Are you still looking forward to Dead Island 2 after all these years?