A former communications director at Deep Silver, publisher of Dead Island 2, has revealed details about the game's notorious eight-year delay, attributing it to disastrous early playtest feedback that deemed the project unplayable.
During a Develop:Brighton conference session (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz), Martin Wein – currently with GameFlex Consultants – provided unprecedented insight into the sequel's troubled development. He described how a crucial milestone meeting with original developer Yager concluded the game in its current state was fundamentally flawed.
Initially unveiled at E3 2014, Dead Island 2 entered development limbo after Yager's departure from the project due to creative differences with Deep Silver. The title subsequently shifted to Sumo Digital before finally finding its permanent home at Dambuster Studios in 2019. After reappearing with a gameplay showcase in August 2022, the game faced another 12-week delay when its December 2022 showcase pushed the release to April 2023.
"We created that initial trailer with great pride," Wein recalled. "But just weeks later, our milestone review revealed catastrophic issues. The gameplay bore no resemblance to what made the original Dead Island enjoyable. Our subsequent playtests confirmed our worst fears – players hated it."
Despite the development team's assurances of improvements, subsequent testing showed no meaningful progress. "The feedback remained brutally consistent: not fun, not engaging, and completely unrecognizable as a Dead Island experience," Wein explained.
This led to the difficult decision to remove the project from Yager's control. "We faced a choice," Wein continued. "We could have released a subpar product that might have turned a quick profit but would have destroyed the franchise's future. Instead, we chose the harder path to preserve the series' integrity."
The final 2023 release garnered mixed reactions, with IGN's review scoring it 7/10. Their assessment highlighted the game's "hilarious gore-fest" qualities and competent zombie combat, while criticizing its lack of innovation beyond its dark humor.
