Dead Island 2’s troubled journey to release has been marked by delays, studio shifts, and substantial changes to its development. Martin Wein, former head of communications at Deep Silver, recently opened up about the game’s eight-year delay and how it almost led to the destruction of the franchise.
Originally revealed at E3 2014, Dead Island 2 faced major issues after initial playtests, leading to the decision to take the game away from its original developer, Yager.
Wein revealed that the initial version of the game simply “sucked,” and feedback from early testers was disastrous. The game failed to capture what made the original Dead Island fun, and after a failed milestone meeting, it was clear the development team wasn’t ready to embrace necessary changes. The team at Deep Silver had no choice but to seek a new studio to take over, marking the start of a lengthy journey.
Dead Island 2 was then passed on to Sumo Digital, and later to Dambuster Studios in 2019, with a final release date set for 2023. Although the game had undergone several transformations, some of its earlier ideas, like vehicle gameplay, were scrapped along the way, leaving fans questioning what the game could have been. Despite these challenges, the game’s release in 2023 returned a mix of reactions. IGN gave the game a solid 7/10, praising its humor and gore but noting a lack of creativity.
In the end, the decision to delay the game and part ways with the initial developer saved the franchise from a subpar release. While Dead Island 2 may not have lived up to all expectations, it avoided becoming the death of a beloved series.