Dead Island 2 is a title that conjures inevitable parallels to Beyond Good & Evil 2 and Half-Life 3 in that the long-awaited zombie slayer has yet to release nearly 8 years after being announced. Though its vaporware status hasn’t officially dissipated for a long while, the Deep Silver-developed sequel has been repeatedly confirmed as in development with nearly nothing to show for it since its original announcement at E3 2014. However, according to a new report, it looks like Dead Island 2 may finally rise from the dead later this year.

This ray of hope comes from industry insider Tom Henderson, who suggested the undead sequel is currently in “a decent state” and is expected to re-emerge “pretty soon” with a spiffy gameplay trailer. Sourcing “a couple sources” who’ve had access to the game, development is said to have progressed enough that plans are in place for a Q4 2022 release window. However, as we live in an age of pandemic-related delays, Sumo Digital is also reportedly prepared for a 2023 release if any such hiccups occur.

In addition to release info, Henderson also divulged further details about the opening of Dead Island 2, warning they may present “spoilers” to some. As per the video above, the sequel starts in the midst of a zombie outbreak on a plane, which promptly crashes into the game’s formal Hollywood-area setting. From there, players escape into to the underground sewer system, which is teased to hold a few “nasty surprises.” Gameplay was said to compare “pretty nicely” to the original game, with players reportedly able to explore San Francisco and loot supplies from mansions in Beverly Hills.

If this report proves true, Dead Island 2 might finally launch in 2022, marking the end of a very long road to release. Taking over from original developer Techland, the project was initially underway with Spec Ops: The Line studio Yager Development before creative differences landed the sequel with Sumo Digital and eventually Homefront: The Revolution devs Dambuster Studios in 2019. Last year saw an entire build of the game leaked online, depicting Yager’s unmade version of the game from 2015. Since taking over, it’s not yet clear what form Dambuster‘s version of the game may take.

What do you think? Are you hyped for the release of Dead Island 2, or do you feel Techland’s Dying Light games have effectively made Dead Island irrelevant in 2022? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!​

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