The Dead Island franchise is a highly popular zombie-themed survival horror game series. The first game was released in September 2011, with its story set on the fictional island of Banoi. The game follows four playable characters that must survive against hordes of zombies while trying to find a way off the island.
Its commercial success resulted in the release of Dead Island 2, which was supposed to be a sequel based in California, but development issues and multiple delays led to its cancellation.
Despite this setback, the franchise continues to live on with spin-off games like Escape Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide. These games also feature various characters battling against different types of zombie threats. Additionally, comics and novels have been published to expand the series’ universe.
Interestingly, Deep Silver’s decision not to develop Dead Island 2 may have been the right call for the publisher. With years of development struggles and negative reactions from fans towards its gameplay footage, cancelling it seems to have saved them from releasing an unsuccessful title.
A developer for Dead Island 2 once described it as “the hardest problem I’ve ever had to solve,” indicating how difficult it was for them to complete it successfully. Despite its cancellation, Deep Silver and other developers still continue producing content based on the franchise that has a dedicated fan base waiting for every new installment.
Why not make Dead Island 2? Maybe Deep Silver realized that zombies were overrated and decided to let them rest in peace.
Why did Deep Silver not Make Dead Island 2
The development of Dead Island 2 was not carried out by Deep Silver despite the fact that they were responsible for the release of its prequel. Deep Silver’s decision to withdraw from the project raised several questions about their strategic planning and how they allocate their resources. Fans were concerned as to why the developer abandoned a well-known title that had a significant following.
Deep Silver’s decision may have been wise as we know now that the development process of Dead Island 2 was plagued with issues, including multiple delays, team restructuring, and disagreements among developers. These factors contributed to critical failures in production, leading to an eventual cessation in progress.
However, some rumors suggest that Deep Silver’s separation from the project may not have been entirely voluntary. It has been insinuated that financial troubles within the company forced them to relinquish control over Dead Island 2’s development in favour of directing funds towards more profitable ventures.
Whether or not this speculation holds any merit, it remains uncertain what would have resulted if Deep Silver retained owning rights on Dead Island 2. The failure of its sequel could potentially damage sales figures and risk losing their fanbase. Ultimately, only time will tell whether or not Deep Silver’s choice was a wise one.
Deep Silver’s decision not to make Dead Island 2 may have left fans disappointed, but at least they won’t have to worry about getting eaten by zombies while waiting for the game to release.
Deep Silver’s decision and its reception
The decision made by Deep Silver regarding the delay in releasing Dead Island 2 has been met with mixed reactions among gamers. However, a section of the community believes that the company made the right decision after taking into consideration various aspects such as issues with development and gameplay.
Dead Island 2 was initially expected to be released in 2015 but faced several delays leading to speculations about its cancellation. The game’s official trailer showcased an open-world environment set in California where players would battle hordes of zombies. Still, conflicting rumors emerged about its direction and failure to meet development milestones. This provided Deep Silver with a reason for delaying the project and improving its overall quality.
As per reports, Dambuster Studios resumed developing Dead Island 2 in 2019, which has led many to believe that there may be a chance for its release soon.
In recent years, multiple AAA titles have been released prematurely and faced considerable backlash and criticism from gamers and critics alike. Thus, it appears that Deep Silver understood the significance of releasing a polished product with minimal bugs to enhance player experience compared to hastily launching an unfinished game.
Why settle for a Dead Island sequel when you can have a whole new game about zombie accountants? Introducing ‘Dead Balances: The Undead CPA’.
Alternative projects and future plans
Deep Silver’s latest projects and upcoming prospects display an astute ability to adapt to the gaming industry’s evolving demands. Their decision not to produce Dead Island 2 does not depict a lack of competence, rather an intelligent move. Instead, Deep Silver has other games under development and is focusing on polishing them, like Chorus, which they recently revealed at Summer Game Fest.
Chorus: A semantic masterpiece – The first title by Fishlabs under Deep Silver has depicted numerous improvements in terms of design and mechanics since their initial outing. With stunning visuals and intuitive gameplay, Chorus features a captivating storyline that intrigues gamers worldwide.
The upcoming games under development will undoubtedly provide unparalleled gaming experiences. They are working on unannounced titles that promise innovation and redefining the genre entirely. It will be interesting to see what surprises Deep Silver has up their sleeve.
Deep Silver’s decision not to make Dead Island 2 may have been the right call, but let’s not bury the franchise just yet – there’s still plenty of brain-munching potential left!
Conclusion: Did Deep Silver make the right call in not making Dead Island 2?
The decision of Deep Silver not to continue with Dead Island 2 was driven by several reasons. Industry watchers claim that the entire development team for the game was replaced, and this change made it harder for the game’s storyline to be coherent. Moreover, changes in leadership contributed to a lack of consistency in creative direction. This lack of clarity and unity eventually led to numerous delays, putting too much strain on the project. Consequently, Deep Silver had no option but to shelve it.
Despite such shortcomings, there are some who believe that Deep Silver may have made the right call in shelving Dead Island 2 instead of pushing through with its release. By moving on from a troubled project like Dead Island 2, Deep Silver can focus their resources and energies on other more promising projects. It will allow them to pour more attention and care into these projects, increasing both quality and fans’ engagement.
Moreover, starting anew from scratch may even provide the opportunity for a new and improved system with features that can satisfy both old fans as well as new ones who would have been turned off by their original design plans.
According to Jason Schreier at Kotaku, many developers – including those that worked on Dead Island 2 – cited management issues at Techland (the developer behind the original Dead Island) as a significant roadblock how successful making a good sequel would ultimately be.
All things considered, it seems like Deep Silver’s decision may benefit them in creating better games in future.