Dead Island 2 avoids Star Wars Jedi clash by bumping up its release date

By Tomas Franzese February 13, 2023

Dead Island 2, a game that never seemed like it was going to come out, has gone gold and even had its release date moved up by a week. Originally slated for April 28, Dead Island 2 will now be released on April 21. That means it’ll launch one week before Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which just had its release date pushed to April 28.

The developers of the LA-based zombie game revealed the news via a tweet with a video that highlights a bunch of comments asking if the game was polished and if it will actually ever be released before it confirms that Dead Island 2 has gone gold and is coming out a bit earlier than we currently expected.

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You asked for it, you got it. Dead Island 2 went gold and it's coming out a week early.
See you in HELL-A on April 21, 2023.#DeadIsland #SeeYouInHELLA pic.twitter.com/8Gu28bIcUS
— Dead Island (@deadislandgame) February 13, 2023

Release dates moving up instead of being delayed are a rarity, with one of the only recent examples being Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Still, the delay makes sense now that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is coming out on April 28. This announcement also feels cathartic after Dead Island 2’s rough development. The zombie sequel has notoriously been delayed significantly more than most games. Originally announced in 2014 with a Q2 2015 release window, Dead Island 2 got pushed back again and again, switching developers multiple times and slowly seeming more and more likely to become vaporware.

Deep Silver Dambuster Studios’ new version of the game finally reemerged as the big final reveal of Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, but even after that, the game got delayed one more time to April 28. Even if it’s moving its release date up by just a week, the fact that Dead Island 2 has gone gold and even moved its release date up a bit feels like the satisfying end to an excruciatingly long journey. Whether it’s good or not, we finally don’t have to wait much longer to actually play Dead Island 2.

Dead Island 2 will be released for PC, PS4, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on April 21.

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Dead Island 2 pushed back to April, kicking off 2023’s delay season early

Dead Island 2 zombies

Dambuster studios and Deep Silver have announced that Dead Island 2 has been delayed to April 28, 2023, from its original February 3, 2023, release. The game is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

"The irony of delaying Dead Island 2 is not lost on us, and we are as disappointed as you undoubtedly are," Deep Silver explained in a statement on Twitter. The delay is just 12 short weeks and development is on the final straight now; we’re going to take the time we need to make sure we can launch a game we’re proud to launch."

Gaming

How to pre-order Dead Island 2: retailers, editions, and bonuses

Dead Island 2.

Some of us out there have been waiting on Dead Island 2 since 2014, when it was first revealed with a cinematic trailer. Little did we know at the time that the game would not only be delayed but that the original developers would leave the project. And then, the second team picking up where they left off would also be removed, and the game would finally land with its final team at Dambuster Studios. There are few games that can survive this long of a development cycle, and even fewer that can somehow still make it to market after passing hands so many times, and yet Dead Island 2 refuses to die.

With its re-reveal at Gamescom 2022, Dead Island 2 was quick to slap a solid release date of February 3, 2023, on the game to build some goodwill and trust among fans who have been waiting for close to a decade already. Not long after, pre-orders were launched, further cementing the fact that, yes, this game is actually coming out. Whether you've been waiting since 2014 or are just hearing about the franchise now, here are all the details on how to pre-order Dead Island 2 and what each edition comes with.

Gaming

Dead Island 2 had to ‘start from scratch’ to deliver better carnage

Dead Island 2.

In a shocking resurrection at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, Dead Island 2 came back from the dead. Despite having been in development for a decade, the version of the zombie action game coming in February has much fresher blood than what was teased in 2014. That’s because in 2018, development passed to a Deep Silver Dambuster Studios team that was content to start from scratch to create their own vision of the game.

“We thought it had loads of potential for characterful locations,” creative director James Worrall told me during an interview at Gamescom. "But when it came to the actual gameplay engine, what we really wanted to laser focus on was the up close and personal melee combat. There are guns in the game – gunsies are for funsies! – but it’s all about the melee combat … and to do that, we had to start from scratch.”