a build of Dead Island 2 from 2015 was shared online through a leak.
a build of Dead Island 2 from 2015 was shared online through a leak.
Dead Island 2 first surfaced in 2014 with plans for a mid-2015 launch, only to be postponed and eventually resurfaced. Now it’s available for preorder after nearly six years, with a potential release this year—five years late compared to its original timeline. A leak on 4chan shared a playable build from 2015, showing significant progress since the earlier showcase at Gamescon in July 2014. Development has shifted through several teams: Yager was involved for three years before being replaced by DeepSilver, then moved to Sumo Digital (also terminated), and now Dambuster Studios handles it internally. The leaked version is still rough with many placeholders and bugs, but core combat and weapon systems are solid. It includes functional vehicles, a working radio system, and engaging music. Quests exist mostly as test versions, though some voice acting has been added. Only the playable characters are animated; NPCs remain placeholder figures. The leak also revealed a dedicated dev room for testing weapons, mechanics, and gameplay. Overall, the build impressed me, and I’m hopeful the long development phase will conclude soon, allowing us to see improvements in feel and polish since Yager and Sumo Digital left the project. Here are some recent gameplay clips from the leaked version.
I've always had a fascination with retro game versions that underwent major changes or existed only in early releases—like the long-lived post-launch builds of Team Fortress 2 or the original Half-Life 2 with DX7 support, plus various SpongeBob PS1 adaptations. I wasn't aware that Dead Island 2 had been stuck in development hell.
Wow... another installment... I assumed they ended this series after Riptide and the third-person title they released, which didn't really resonate with anyone. Good to see some continued enthusiasm.
I haven't played it in a long time, I liked the original and riptide was alright. The spin offs however were not my cup of tea. I was excited for it back in 2015 but since Dying Light came out I've been eagerly waiting for Dying Light 2 which apparently is also in Development hell right now according to some articles floating around.
Absolutely, I recall when Zombie games first launched and everyone was super excited. However, they didn’t meet the hype, and I didn’t invest much time before getting bored. EDIT: Supporting companies with more than six years of development feels like a scam to me, and I won’t pay them back. That’s why DayZ seems pretty disappointing to me now. Once it was taken off the mod, it just became a mess.