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[Mista]

The game was announced in 2014, with Yager Development (Spec Ops: The Line) taking over the reins from Techland, which had left its tropical undead shores Dying Light.
After a press showing at Gamescom 2014, Deep Silver revealed a year later that Yager was no longer developing the project. Sumo Digital, best known for Team Sonic Racing and work on Crackdown 3, took over development in 2016. Today, THQ Nordic revealed in a financial report that a new driver is in the seat once more, with Dambuster Studios (Homefront: The Revolution) have taken over development:

We have entrusted Dambuster Studios with the Dead Island franchise, bringing the development of this key franchise to one of our internal studios. They are now leading the development of Dead Island 2.

GameInformer

 

[HaveButOneLife]

I hope that this isn't a bad thing... Homefront 2 wasn't great.

 

[Threeshotgamer]

 

[johntown]

Does not seem to bode very well for this game.

 

[Escara]

I really wonder if the game is going to be worth it at this point.

Most people already got the Dead Island sequel they wanted through Dying Light.

 

[The Cockatrice]

I really wonder if the game is going to be worth it at this point.

Most people already got the Dead Island sequel they wanted through Dying Light.

Yeah I dont care about Dead Island anymore. Dying Light is the best coop zombie game ever made and at this point only the sequel can surpass it.

 

[Mista]

I hope that this isn't a bad thing... Homefront 2 wasn't great.

HF: The Revolution was garbage

 

[stranno]

What a shame. Sumo Digital is one of my favourite studios of all time. They have a bunch of high quality Playstation Portable ports (Outrun, Driver 76, Split/Second, etc), the wonderful remaster of GTI Club for PSN and Super Rub 'A' Dub!

2014 E3 demo was a bit weird tho.

 

[Mondai]

It’s going to disappoint isn’t it?

 

[Arun1910]

I don't see the point in this.

Techland took zombie killing so far when they moved from Dead Island to Dying Light. It was a massive step up.

Unless Dead Island 2 does something to shake the original formula up in a way that is on par or better than Dying Light(2), then it's just going to feel like a step back.

 

[Roni]

Yeah, at this point unless Dead Island 2 is pretty much Dying Light 3, this game is coming a little too late. Dying Light 2 is already shaping up to be a huge leap from the original Dying Light and Dead Island 2 didn't at all seem to be on par with that. I'm sure the Publisher must be absolutely desperate to make its money back on the investment, but the writing is on the wall at this point.

Feels like they're at that gambler's death spiral where the realization that they've lost a lot of money is making them put even more money behind it in an effort to salvage something out of it.

The relationship between Developer vs. Publisher is usually one where the Publisher holds much of the leverage. But I've always felt that wasn't the case between Techland & Deep Silver. Deep Silver had a huge studio in their hands with Techland and they should've just greenlit whatever they wanted instead of taking the IP and handing it over to someone else.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Their only solution is to make their own Dead Island game with only some similarities to the original (like the fpp view or the open world). Trying to offer more of the same is a dead end. We already have Dying Light and its sequel will be even bigger and improved.

 

[MMaRsu]

Not sure why they would still spend money on this

 

[MiguelItUp]

Honestly I'm beyond surprised it's still alive after this whole time. There's no incredible Dead Island community chomping at the bit for it. I mean, as far as I know.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

This game is the new Duke Nukem Forever.

 

[xrnzaaas]

This game is the new Duke Nukem Forever.

Duke Nukem Forever always had some content to show during its troubled development, with Dead Island 2 we only got one cinematic trailer and that's it.

 

[Husky]

With everyone on the "if we have Dying Light who gives a fuck" train
Plus light-hearted zombie titles are annoying and dumb, and I wanna get immersed in more dark and gritty experiences thanks

 

[wipeout364]

I really disliked Yager’s take on it from what little I saw. I generally love Sumo Digital stuff but Crackdown 3 was pretty meh. Dam busters Homefront was pretty weak after an awful long wait.

Part of me just wonders if this is a cost cutting measure, Dambusters is an internal studio and I doubt Deep Silver would greenlight Homefront 3 maybe they are just throwing them work. Based on Homefront I would expect something very mediocre though.

 

[MrCunningham]

Duke Nukem Forever always had some content to show during its troubled development, with Dead Island 2 we only got one cinematic trailer and that's it.

Duke Nukem Forever had one E3 Trailer in 1998, a few magazine previews based on the game between 1998 to 2001, and then another trailer at E3 2001. After E3 2001, 3D Realms went dark until at least 2009 - 2010, when they started showing new media.

The only difference is that DNF was always being 'worked on' in-house by 3D Realms, right up until the company closure in 2010, when developed was finished at GearBox. Most of their development time consisted of pizza and stripper parties courtesy of George Broussard.

Duke Nukem Forever started development on the Quake 2 engine, then was shifted to Unreal Engine 1. 3D Realms made many alternations to the engine, but the final game still shipped with Unreal Engine 1 in 2011, and was the last retail game to ship with UE1.

Dead Island 2 had one cinematic trailer in 2012, and media has gone black on the game since then. So far, it seems like development has been shifted between three different developers.

3D Realms did not show anything Duke Nukem Forever related for nearly 9 years. It's been 7 years since we saw any media from Dead Island 2. I would say Dead Island 2 is on track to being the next DNF.

Good thing the Dying Light series exists instead.

 

[Esppiral]

I honestly thought all this time that Daying light was Dead Island sequel lol

 

[Helios]

I completely forgot this franchise even existed. Wasn't there also some moba game spin-off that they were making based on this?

 

[PPIMystaceus]

Dead Island 2 had one cinematic trailer in 2012, and media has gone black on the game since then. So far, it seems like development has been shifted between three different developers.

You're pretty close. The cinematic trailer was from E3 2014, with a gameplay demonstration later during Gamescom, but that was it.

 

[SALMORE]

loved the original to death & i enjoyed both Riptide & Escape so I'll " patiently " wait AGAIN for the sequel

 

[Shakka43]

Was so happy when they announced it as I loved DI and Riptide, then they showed that awful sandbox gameplay and all my interest went away. I was glad that they changed development but for how long it has taken and now this, I doubt this game is ever coming out.

 

[MrCunningham]

You're pretty close. The cinematic trailer was from E3 2014, with a gameplay demonstration later during Gamescom, but that was it.

Oops, my mistake. Also, I didn't know that they showed any gameplay from Dead Island 2.

 

[newtypepilot]

inb4 epic exclusive