Dead Island 2 was the now cancelled original build of Dead Island 2, originally set to be developed by Yager and published by Deep Silver. First revealed at E3 2014, it was to be the third main entry into the Dead Island series. Development was suspended in July 2015 when Yager was dropped from the project due to apparent creative differences between the studio and Deep Silver.[1] Sumo Digital announced they had taken over development on March 9th, 2016,[2] but did not mention a release date. The game was expected to be delayed far past its previously scheduled "late 2016" release and was removed from the Steam store.[3][4]
In 2019, it was confirmed that the game was still in development, but by August of that year, it was announced by THQ Nordic that Sumo Digital had been replaced by internal studio, Dambuster Studios.[5]
In 2020, a basic, yet playable version of the game from 2015 was leaked. The build featured part of the map of California, including a few NPCs with voice action, as well as a 'dev room' containing all the finished weapons and zombies that were to be featured in the game. See below for more details.
Overview[]
According to Deep Silver's statement, the game was to take place in Northern and Southern California back-to-back.
Deep Silver released a statement describing the third instalment in the series:
- Several months after the events on Banoi, the United States military has put the Golden State under full quarantine. Now a restricted zone, California has become a bloody paradise for those who refuse to leave their homes and an action-packed playground for renegades who seek adventure, glory and a fresh start. Combining the classic Dead Island elements of immersive close combat, action and role-playing, Dead Island 2 features crazy, never-before-seen handcrafted weapons and over-the-top characters in taking players from the iconic Golden Gate to the celebrated beachfront boardwalk of southern California’s Venice Beach.[6]
- Jack Black and Aaron Paul were rumored to be appearing in the game. However (as seen here), “Jack Black” was an impersonator. Impersonator Mick Wingert later confirmed his involvement in the game.
Heroes[]
As with the first game, there was to be four playable characters, who each had their own class designation.
- Ryan, the "Berserker": A former volunteer firefighter.
- Ashlee, the "Huntress": A former teacher and party girl.
- John, the "Bishop": A preacher.
- Dani, the "Speeder": A stuntwoman.
Zombies[]
There was to be a slew of zombies appearing in the game, with a mix of returning and brand new types not seen in the main titles. A number of these zombies ended up appearing in the actual released version of Dead Island 2.
- Suicider: The Suicider was to be large and fast moving. Like their predecessors, they would violently explode when shot or in proximity to players. They would have had a redesigned model, with glowing yellow patches around their bodies and fattened compared to their predecessors.
- Thug: Thugs were to be a lot different than they were in Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide. Rather than being hugely muscular, they would have been enormously fat.
- Walkers: The most common type of zombie, present in previous games.
- Runners: Similar to Infected in Dead Island.
- Shambler: Another common zombie, similar to Walkers.
- Crawler: A zombie type that was notoriously missing from the previous games. A crawler would be created when a regular zombie had their leg(s) cut off or broken.
- Hyena: A fast zombie, similar to Infected and Runners except tougher, and possibly slower.
- Slobber: A replacement for Floaters that would have filled the same role. Unlike Floaters, Slobbers were not necessarily restricted to waterlogged areas.
- Stomper: A highly dangerous zombie, the Stomper would have been extremely tough and difficult to deal with.
Weapons[]
A number of weapons were seen in the trailer and revealed on the website. These were:
- Branch Saw
- Grinder
- Homestrike
- Crescent Machete
- Katana
- Sledgehammer
- Revolver Pistol
- Crossbow
- Molotov Cocktail
Build leak[]
In early June 2020, an old Yager build of the game from 2015 was leaked. It showcased a small portion of the beachfront being complete, featuring NPCs with dialogue, as well as several usable weapons and various zombies, but no quests had been implemented at this stage. It also showed a few new zombies, as well as a 'dev room' which had all the weapons and items planned to be in the game, along with a way of spawning zombies to test them on.
Gallery[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/07/14/deep-silver-drops-yager-as-developer-of-dead-island-2-.aspx
- ↑ https://twitter.com/deadislandgame/status/707871252774580225
- ↑ Oh Deep Silver: Dead Island 2 culled from Steam. Cancelled? on NeoGAF forums
- ↑ 'Dead Island 2 Removed from Steam' on HardcoreGamer
- ↑ Yes, Dead Island 2 is still alive and it's going to be a "kick-ass zombie game" on Eurogamer
- ↑ http://time.com/2851038/dead-island-2-announced/