Dead Island 2 getting delayed might seem like news that could be posted on any given day over the past couple of years, but as per our recent hands-on with the game, it is in the final stages of production. And shaping up to be something very cool. As per the announcement, the new date is April 28, 2023 - with the extra time being put toward that final stage of polishing.

"The irony of delaying Dead Island 2 is not lost on us," writes the announcement. "The delay is just 12 short weeks and development is on the final straight now. We're going to take the time we need to make sure we can launch a game we're proud to launch."

The delay is just 12 short weeks and development is on the final straight now. The new release date for Dead Island 2 will be April 28th 2023.#DeadIsland #SeeYouInHELLA pic.twitter.com/Vf1NARTECo

— Dead Island (@deadislandgame) November 17, 2022

And with that a new trailer and look at gameplay is coming as part of a Dead Island 2 showcase on December 6.

Not only is it a surprise that Dead Island 2 is in the final stages of development - but in a state where we could play a polished and impressive 30-minute chunk. And then have a candid chat with the game director and creative director over at Deep Silver Dambuster Studios to talk about the game’s history and groundbreaking melee combat.

Where you can melt zombies!

“One of the most fun things to do in the game is to melt zombies because that shows the potential of it. We've modeled the clothes and the skin, and then it melts through to the organs beneath that where there are individually modeled and simulated gallbladders and intestines and that kind of thing. Right down to the skeleton. Performance obviously has been a challenge, making sure that we can get all of this stuff running at 4K 60 frames-per-second on gen nine [Xbox Series X|S and PS5].”

“Balancing performance with the fidelity that we wanted and the level of procedurality. If that's a word. And with this being an action RPG, balancing that arcade instant visual feedback with the RPG side. Where there are stats and data and rolls and randomisations. Hopefully, we've struck a really good execution of all of that.”

Head Here For Our Full Dead Island 2 Interview

Ahead of its Gamescom reveal we had the chance to go hands-on with Dead Island 2, the long-in-development sequel that is as surprisingly polished as it is ground-breaking. And it's out February 3, 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Here's the impressive gameplay trailer.



And a snippet from our preview.

The demo started us off with quite the arsenal. Equipping a large two-handed mallet, charging up a heavy attack, targetting a zombie’s head, and then watching as it made contact, crushed its neck, and then slammed the undead attacker into the ground in one single motion was one of those take-a-step-back moments. Gruesome, disturbing, but satisfying in a way that very few games manage to pull off. The best part was it wasn’t a scripted animation because trying to do the exact same thing to the next zombie ended up with a shoulder getting mangled because the impact angle was off. Equally gruesome, and over-the-top.

Our Full Dead Island 2 Hands-On Preview