Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Developer Techland would happily make Dead Island 2, if only Deep Silver would ask

Kris Wouk
By

techland open to developing dead island 2 screenshot 5
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Last month we reported that Dead Island 2 developer Yager had been dropped from the project by publisher Deep Silver, who stated that its vision of the game and Yager’s had been starting to drift apart. While Deep Silver stresses that the game is still in development, no replacement developer has been announced so far.

While the series’ original developer Techland has since moved on to Dying Light, which eclipsed the Dead Island games in terms of both sales and critical reception, the studio isn’t happy to see its former IP floundering.

Recommended Videos

“You’re never happy that some other developer failed, because it could have been us, basically,” Techland producer Tymon Smektala told VideoGamer. “And another thing that added to the feeling of sadness and disappointment was the fact that Dead Island is our child. It’s a title that we imagined, we developed. We made this game and we still have a very strong connection to that IP. So it’s very bad news.”

Related

Smektala also has a solution for Deep Silver’s problem of finding a developer for Dead Island 2. He says that Techland would be happy to return to the series – all Deep Silver has to do is ask. But is there room for both Dying Light and Dead Island as franchises?

“I love Dead Island and I think there is a place for both franchises to strive in the market,” Smektala said. “As long as someone would be able to find something that would make them different, that would draw a clear line, ‘Okay, here’s Dead Island, here’s Dying Light’, and I think that’s doable, then why not?”

While Dead Island 2 remains stalled as Deep Silver searches for a developer, Techland is keeping itself busy. Last week the studio announced Dying Light: The Following, an expansion that takes the game out of the city and into the countryside.

Techland is also currently in the early stages of preparing a sequel to the game, which Smektala says the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One may not be able to handle.

Update: Smektala issued a statement stressing that he was talking about his personal opinion.

“After reading through some of the VideoGamer coverage of Dying Light: The Following produced after an interview at Gamescom, I’d like to again clarify that all of the statements I made about Dead Island 2 were my personal opinions only and in no way represent the views of the studio.”

“I am a huge fan of the original Dead Island as a gamer and would love the franchise to thrive, but any decisions regarding possible Techland’s involvement in its franchise are not mine to make, and are never as easy as just “asking”. At the moment I’m focusing on Dying Light: The Following hoping to deliver a great expansion to all the fans of the game.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Dead Island 2 avoids Star Wars Jedi clash by bumping up its release date
Dead Island 2 zombie

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.
https://twitter.com/deadislandgame/status/1625147886643150852
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. 

Read more
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."

Read more
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.

Read more