Dead Island 2 is reportedly alive and could release next year

It’s been almost a decade since Dead Island 2 was first announced, and the game has had more than its fair share of trouble behind the scenes. In fact, Dead Island 2 hasn’t made an official appearance since Gamescom 2014. This led to a lot of people assuming that the game was quietly canceled. However, it seems that Dead Island 2 has been reanimated, and its release date could be poised for next year.

As originally reported by VGC, Dead Island 2 could release by March 2023, which is the end of the fiscal year for developer Deep Silver’s parent company, Embracer Group. This information comes from an Embracer Group earnings presentation that (not so) subtly hinted at Dead Island 2‘s current status. Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors couldn’t say whether Dead Island 2 still exists in the first place. But, he did mention that he’s “excited about unannounced titles” when directly asked about Dead Island 2‘s release date.

Dead Island 2 slowly shuffles to the finish line

The original Dead Island, and its follow-up Dead Island Riptide, were titles that garnered a passionate following. It isn’t surprising, since the series managed to inject a bit of life into the decaying zombie genre. However, the lack of information coming from Dead Island 2 made many of the series’ fans worry. And for a while there they had a good reason to be concerned.

Dead Island 2 has had a turbulent development period ever since its announcement. Its original developer, Techland, decided to instead focus development on its own zombie title, 2015’s Dying Light. Yager Development then took the reins for a short time. However, that didn’t last long, as Sumo Digital was then placed in charge of Dead Island 2. Finally, in 2019, THQ Nordic announced that development had switched over to Dambuster Studios.

It’s easy to see why hope had dwindled for the game. But miraculously, Dead Island 2 seems like it could finally be on its way out the door. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the game has faired nearly a decade later. Granted, Dead Island 2‘s release date isn’t set in stone, and it could still be a while before we get to see the finished product. The idea that the game could be on its way out soon is an exciting idea, though. So, keep an eye out for any potential official announcements.