Dead Island 2 Is Still Happening, Says Koch Media CEO

Dead Island came out back in 2011, and with no word on a sequel in years, we were sure that the franchise was kaput. Like the undead, though, hopes that Dead Island 2 will happen are continually resurrected. This time, Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz has assured the world that Dead Island 2 is still coming out and it's going to be "kick-ass." 

The trailer for the sequel was released at E3 2014, and it was, indeed, kick-ass. That, however, was the last substantial information we really received from publisher Deep Silver as to what was happening with the sequel. Since then, it's all been vague assurances on Twitter and side-stepped answers during interviews.

In his interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Kundratitz laughingly said that questions about Dead Island 2 were his favorite, adding, "Look, Dead Island is a very important brand for us and we've got to get it right. It's just a testimony of our dedication to get it right."

Perhaps the "testimony" of Koch's dedication is how many different studios have taken on the apparent challenge of developing the game. Originally, Techland was set to develop Dead Island 2, as it had created the original game. Techland moved on to Dying Light, however, so Yager Development got the nod in 2012. In 2016, Sumo Digital became the sequel's development studio. Then, earlier this year, Dambuster Studios took the wheel.

All this studio switching doesn't bode well for a speedy release, and even Kundratitz admits that it's not the best look.

"It's a great story to tell everyone that it's on its third studio, but we like to be judged on the end result and we're really confident that when it comes out it's going to be a kick-ass zombie game," Kundratitz said. "We'll certainly give it all our power."

Dead Island 2 has not, contrary to popular belief, been abandoned. But when will we finally get to play? Maybe on the PlayStation 5, to give you a better idea as to how much work is left to be done on this much-anticipated sequel.