dead Island 2’s Rocky Road to Launch: A Look Back at Eight Years of Development Hell
Los Angeles, CA – [Current Date] – While Dead Island 2 officially launched just over two years ago, its journey to the market was a tumultuous one, spanning nearly a decade and involving multiple developer changes. The game’s troubled development history, including significant delays and scrapped versions, has recently come to light, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges faced by publisher Deep Silver.The story of Dead Island 2 begins in 2014, when Deep Silver first unveiled the highly anticipated sequel to the popular zombie-slaying title.The initial trailer generated considerable excitement among fans,but behind the scenes,the development was far from smooth. According to former Deep silver communications manager Martin Wein, the game’s early internal testing revealed significant issues.
“I worked on the game as part of the creative team,and we were very proud of that trailer,” Wein stated in a recent interview. “But then, about three to four weeks later, we had come to an vital milestone with the developer team that was responsible at that time. And my god, that game sucked.”
Following the departure of the original Dead island developer, Techland, who went on to create Dying Light, Deep Silver entrusted the sequel to Yager. However, based on tester feedback, Yager’s iteration failed to capture the essence of what made the first game a success. “It had nothing to do with what made the first Dead Island giant fun,” Wein explained. “So we organized a test round and received lousy feedback. So we sat down with the team and said, ‘OK, what are we doing now?’ And they said, ‘Yep, we’ll fix it.'”
Despite assurances, the game’s quality did not improve, leading to Yager’s removal from the project.The development baton was then passed to Sumo digital, and afterward to Dambuster Studios, who ultimately brought Dead Island 2 to fruition.
Originally slated for a 2015 release, fans endured an eight-year wait before the game finally launched in 2023. Wein, however, believes that the decision to delay and rework the game was the correct one. “Sometimes you have to make difficult choices,” he commented. “Because we could have released a bad game. It might have made some money, but it would have killed the series. I think Deep silver did the right thing, and Dead Island 2 eventually became a commercial success.”
The prolonged development cycle and the eventual success of Dead Island 2 serve as a testament to the publisher’s commitment to delivering a quality product, even in the face of significant developmental hurdles.
