Everything we know about Dead Island 2

In 2011, developer Techland and publisher Deep Silver released their tropical zombie RPG Dead Island. At first, reviews of the original title ranged from harsh to mixed. Following an exciting marketing campaign that promised an emotional and gripping apocalypse tale, the eventual result was a pretty standard zombie sandbox. However, while the game certainly has its fair share of mechanical and technical bugs, the initial backlash ultimately waned.

In the years since, Dead Island ultimately cemented its current status as a cult classic. Naturally, this led to demand for a sequel. Though, apart from 2013’s continuation title Dead Island: Riptide, any chances of seeing a true sequel fell to the wayside. That is, of course, until this past August, when at Gamescom, Deep Silver finally revealed that we will get Dead Island 2 next year.

So, as we await the dead to rise up once again, here is everything we know about Dead Island 2!

A long road

If you followed the development status of Dead Island 2 over the years, you may recall that the newest announcement trailer is actually not the first announcement trailer for the game. Way back in 2014, Deep Silver unveiled the classic jogging trailer at E3.

Although the darkly comedic trailer hyped up fans of the first Dead Island for the sequel, the game would find itself in development Hell. Over the years, the game saw multiple developer changes. With Yager Development originally at the helm, the team ultimately left the project.

In 2015, Sumo Digital would take over production on Dead Island 2. However, they too were removed only a year later. With each passing year and all the changes within its development team, excitement for a Dead Island sequel dwindled until fans eventually gave up on the idea all together.

Now, with Deep Silver’s internal development team Dambuster Studios in control, we’re finally closer than ever to jumping into this new apocalypse.

Become the ultimate zombie slayer

If there’s one thing Dambuster Studios and Deep Silver wants you to know about Dead Island 2, it’s that this game won’t hold back on any punches, or stabs, or shots, or bashes, or… okay, you get the picture. From stabbing a pipe through their chins up to their brains to, quite literally, punching a hole through their faces, there is no shortage of gruesome ways to kill zombies. In fact, Deep Silver itself states that the game will feature, “the most intense, visceral and gory first-person experience possible”.

If you don’t believe me, you can watch the gameplay trailer below that showcases all the nasty ways you can take out zombies.

In addition, the game will feature six playable characters with distinct personalities and dialogue. Unlike the original game, where the four characters had their own specialty (blunt objects, throwables, blades, firearms), the sequel will let you fully customize your favorite character’s skills. This will give players more freedom to play as anyone and build their character to match their playstyle. Additionally, the game offers a system to re-spec characters on the spot, so you can test new build conveniently.

Also, like the first game, Dead Island 2 boasts a co-op mode, so you can survive the apocalypse with your friends. However, unlike the original title that allowed up to four players to team up, the new game will only support three-player co-op.

Welcome to HELL-A

As per the original plans, dating back to 2014’s announcement, Dead Island 2 won’t exactly take place on an island. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t expect a barrage of tropical undead action. Taking place in a zombie-infested Los Angeles, dubbed HELL-A, the City of Angels (if you can still call it that) will be your apocalyptic playground.

The Welcome to HELL-A trailer also unveiled additional exciting features coming to the game as well. Aside from showcasing the large variety of weapons you can find across the city, the trailer also gave us a tease for some of the cool custom weapons players can build as well. In addition, the game will offer some alternative attacks like dropkicks and stomps too.

However, one of the most interesting parts of the trailer shows off how the zombie infection affects the player. We already know that there are certain characters within the Dead Island universe who have special immunity to the zombie infection. However, in this game, you can utilize hybrid zombie powers and strength to gain an advantage against the undead forces.

Hey zombie!

Another cool new feature coming to Dead Island 2 is Alexa Game Control. This allows you to use your voice to draw the attention of zombies, interact with the map and even swap out weapons. The best part is that you don’t need a separate Alexa device for the voice commands to work. Alexa Game Control will support PC and Xbox games, and it works with any existing microphone or headset. Unfortunately, however, this does also mean that PlayStation gamers won’t be able to experience the game with voice commands.

Take a bite out of Dead Island 2 in April

Although Deep Silver first slated the game for a February launch, the game ultimately got pushed back. Now, Dead Island 2 will launch on April 28, 2023. While there may be a longer wait on the actual release, however, you can pre-order a copy now.

Everyone who pre-orders the game will receive the Memories of Banoi Pack. This comes with both the Banoi Baseball Bat and the Banoi War Club, so you can slay some zombies in HELL-A with the island of Banoi always on your mind. In addition, you can also pre-order both the Deluxe Edition and the Gold Edition. These come with:

Deluxe Edition

• Game – Cross Gen
• Pre-Order Bonus: Memories of Banoi Pack
• Bonus Content: Golden Weapons Pack
• Bonus Content: Character Pack 1 & 2

Gold Edition

• Game – Cross Gen
• Pre-Order Bonus: Memories of Banoi Pack
• Bonus Content: Pulp Weapons Pack
• Bonus Content: Golden Weapons Pack
• Bonus Content: Character Pack 1 & 2
• Expansion Pass

Then, for the most diehard Dead Island fans, there’s the HELL-A Edition. Alongside everything that comes in the Gold Edition, this version of the game also features an exclusive steelbook, Venice Beach map, DI2 pins and patch, and six slayer tarot cards.

Dead Island 2 comes out April 28, 2023 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.