Dead Island 2 is officially back from the dead – and it looks spectacularly brutal

Dead Island 2 is officially back from the dead and is due to hit shelves as soon as next year. 

The long-awaited sequel was revealed with a gruesome world premiere trailer during Gamescom 2022’s Opening Night Live showcase, following an Amazon listing leak earlier this week. 

Due to release on February 3, 2023, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC, Dead Island 2 looks to be a familiar affair for fans of the tropical horror series. The sequel is as gory as you might hope, with its focus on melee meaning you can expect to bash in the undead’s heads with everything from baseball bats to clubs – though guns will be available.

But this time, rather than attempting to escape the island paradise of Banoi, you’ll be aiming to survive in a virus-ravaged Los Angeles, so definitely expect zombies in loafers, hawaiian shirts and bikinis. 

A rocky road

Dead Island 2 has had a turbulent development road, to say the least, leading many to wonder if it would ever materialize. 

The development of Dead Island 2 has switched hands twice since the sequel was originally announced eight years ago. Spec Ops: The Line developer Yager initially undertook the project before passing it to Team Sonic racing developer Sumo Digital in 2016. Sumo then passed the development onto Homefront: The Revolution developer Dambuster Studios in 2019.

Since then, we haven’t heard much about Dead Island 2  –  until now.