Summary
Despite a long and rocky development cycle,Dead Island 2managed to launch in an impressive state, seemingly doing the impossible. Thanks to the nearly decade-long production, there were many assumptions thatDead Island 2could potentially be a disaster, but developer Dambuster Studios managed to prove the industry wrong.
Now, withDead Island 2being a little over a year old, there are questions surrounding whether there will be a third game or not. Although the game was a fun zombie-filled gore fest, one of the low points was found in the game’s cliffhanger ending. The game’s two follow-up DLCs didn’t really answer any lingering questions either, so a third game almost feels like a given. A cliffhanger ending can be frustrating, especially when there was such along wait forDead Island 2, but a third installment now has the benefit of having a dedicated studio behind it, meaning less time stuck in production.
BeforeDead Island 2found Dambuster Studios, it changed hands twice. Yager Development was originally in line to make the game, but then Sumo Digital took the reins. After various production issues, Dambuster Studios was finally given control of the project, and the result is a solid zombie adventure.
As of now, it seems like Dambuster Studios is sticking behind theDead Islandfranchise. After recent promises from the studio confirmed thatmoreDead Island 2content is planned for the future, it feels inevitable that the developer will be in charge ofDead Island 3as well. Changing developers after such a surprising success would be far too risky, so Dambuster Studios bringing the next chapter in the series to life is practically a given.
With Dambuster Studios likely locked in, the development cycle forDead Island 3will be far shorter compared toDead Island 2. Despite there not being any actual confirmation of a third game in the works, the production already looks a lot brighter.Dead Island 2became one of the most notorious productionsof its generation because of how directionless it seemed at the time, but the franchise finally found a new home that has what it takes to make a great action horror title.
BeforeDead Island 2launched, it seemed like all hope was lost fortheDead Islandfranchise. The sequel was a huge question of whether the game would actually ever see the light of day. Thankfully, Dambuster Studios beat the odds, despite everything seemingly being against the developer, and the future of the franchise now seems brighter than ever. Of course, there is more content on the way, potentially with more DLCs, butDead Island 3finally feels like an actual possibility instead of just a pipe dream.
Dead Island 2could have easily been the nail in the coffin for the franchise, but a solid game with a cliffhanger ending, albeit a slightly disappointing one, still holds promise formoreDead Islandin the future. There are a lot of game franchises that wouldn’t be able to bounce back from such a tumultuous production timeline. The work that Dambuster Studios has done withDead Island 2brings a lot of hope for other titles that are seemingly stuck in production, likeHollow Knight: SilksongandThe Wolf Among Us 2. The firstDead Islandwasn’t a perfect game by any means, but it was still the beginning of something unique in the zombie genre, and it’s great to know that potential new games in the franchise could have stability with Dambuster Studios.
