Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 is a 2023 action role-playing survival horror game developed by Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver. It is a sequel to Dead Island (2011) and the third major installment in the series. Set about 15 years after the events of the original game and Dead Island: Riptide (2013), the game follows six playable characters (dubbed Slayers) as they attempt to escape a full quarantine restricted zone in Los Angeles in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Instead of a large open world like its predecessor, Los Angeles is split into 10 different open zones, which players can freely explore. Players can use a variety of melee weapons, firearms and explosives to dispatch enemies. The game utilized a procedurally generated dismemberment system, used to create weapon-appropriate wounds on zombies. Announced in 2014, Dead Island 2 endured a lengthy development period and saw several changes in the studios attached to the project. The developer of the original game, Techland, started the project in 2012, though Deep Silver disagreed with its creative vision and instead tasked Yager Development, the developer of Spec Ops: The Line (2012) to develop the sequel. The size of the project and its focus on online multiplayer proved to be challenging for a small team. Yager was removed in 2015 and replaced the following year by Sumo Digital, which was then replaced by Dambuster, an internal studio of Deep Silver, in 2018. Despite not being an island, Los Angeles was chosen to be the game's setting due to its diverse locations and culture, which fit with the overall motif of the franchise. Announced in August 2022, the final iteration of Dead Island 2 was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in April 2023. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, which praised the game's visuals, setting and gameplay, though its story and combat received criticisms. The game sold more than 3 million units by May 2024, surpassing Deep Silver's expectations and becoming its fastest-selling game. It was nominated for Best Action Game at The Game Awards 2023. Dambuster Studios released two downloadable content packs for the game. A sequel titled Dead Island 3 is set to be released in 2028.