The concept of development hell has plagued games for many years. Indeed, some long-worked projects never see the light of day. Dead Island 2 has been this way since its announcement in 2014. Thankfully, it seems its purgatory is nearly over. Now, nine years later, the game has finally gone gold. Even better, its release date is right around the corner. Here are the details.
Dead Island 2 Releases A Week Earlier Than Planned
Announced in atweet from the official Dead Island Twitter account, Dead Island 2 has officially gone gold. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of “going gold,” this means the game is complete. This means that they could start printing and selling the game right now if they wanted to. All that’s really left is to get the launch plans ready.
https://twitter.com/deadislandgame/status/1625147886643150852
Aside from going gold, Dead Island 2 is also going to come out a week earlier than anticipated. Normally, developers will push their release date or delay it. But the choice to move the date back could be due to EA’s latest Star Wars title, Jedi Survivor, releasing on April 28.
Dead Island, despite being announced and in development for nine years, was going to release right next to Jedi Survivor. This could have been bad for sales, being overshadowed by a massive IP like Star Wars.
However, moving the game back a week can not only please fans, but it’ll be good for business as well. Setting themselves a week before Jedi Survivor puts the team in a position to give their game some time in the spotlight. Certainly enough for people to sink their teeth into the game.
However, it may not be enough, as many players have been wary of Dead Island 2 since it’s been handed from developer to developer over its nine-year development cycle. With the number of delays the game has had, many players worry about the game’s overall quality.
This is especially true given the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, which was delayed multiple times from its announcement in 2013 to its release in 2020, seven years later. The game’s extremely long development cycle followed by a launch so buggy PlayStation took it down from digital storefronts. Naturally, that left a bad taste in the mouth of consumers.
Now, with Dead Island 2 gearing up for launch, players are concerned they’re going to be let down once again. Fortunately, we’re inclined to say this is good news. With that much time and attention, it’s certain to draw in longstanding fans. Besides, it’s always good to see another game escape a hellishly long development cycle.