It’s been almost a decade since the announcement of Dead Island 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2011 zombie survival game Dead Island. Since its unveiling, the game has undergone various changes in development, with multiple studios taking over the project. The first of Dead Island 2 was being developed by Spec Ops: The Line developer Yager, but Techland, the developer behind the original, had parted ways with the franchise and was working on Dying Light. In 2016, publisher Deep Silver gave the reins over to LittleBigPlanet 3 developer Sumo Digital, but then in 2019, Deep Silver made known that Homefront: The Revolution developer Dambuster Studios would be assuming over the project. Dambuster Studios has been working on Dead Island 2 since 2018, starting off with a clean.
Despite the changes and the possibility to create a new setting, Dambuster Studios has decided to stick with the original location: Los Angeles, California. In-game and at the studio, this location is referred to as «Hell-A». Game director David Stenton stated there was never much debate about setting the game in a new location, as LA offered such a great opportunity for the game they wanted to make. Stenton added that the team is not looking too closely at the past or other games, but rather focusing on how to make Dead Island 2 «absolutely phenomenal» and bring it up to date for fans to enjoy.
It’s worth mentioning that while the team may have a strong in LA as the perfect setting for Dead Island 2, it’s also possible they chose to stick with the location that fans have been expecting the sequel for almost a decade. The original logo for the game, unveiled in 2014, featured the Golden Gate Bridge, an iconic landmark of San Francisco. However, Dambuster Studios has confirmed Dead Island 2 will take place exclusively in LA and will not include any other California locations in the main campaign.
Despite the lengthy development process and the changes in development studios, Dead Island 2 is finally release in April of this year. The game promises to bring a fresh on the zombie survival genre, with a focus on combat and the iconic setting of LA.
Our Review:
As a big fan of the first Dead Island, I’m excited to see what Dambuster Studios brings to the table with Dead Island 2. While it’s been a long wait for the sequel, it’s encouraging to see the team starting with a clean and focusing on delivering a game that they believe will be «absolutely phenomenal». I’m intrigued to see how the development team utilizes the setting of LA and if they are able to bring something new to the zombie survival genre. I’m also hoping that the game will offer a rewarding continuation of the story from the first Dead Island, although I’m not getting my hopes up on that front. Overall, I’m cautiously optimistic about Dead Island 2 and am looking forward to diving into the game when it releases in April.
Immanuel Mata Home 
