Dead Island 2 has been in development hell for several years and has shifted studios multiple times, but it appears the first version by Yager Development was actually pretty far along before it got canceled.
An unfinished build for Dead Island 2 has found its way online via 4Chan, and was originally from June 2015. Players have begun uploading footage, which features voice acting, first-person combat, and much of the world seemingly complete. Survivors hack and slash through multiple zombies, with blood gushing but not all gore implemented yet. Some obstacles sport a green, flat look instead of finished textures, as do certain buildings.
Though basic, it certainly seemed like the game was going to be in line with what the first Dead Island and its standalone sequel Dead Island: Riptide offered. The original game was developed by Techland, which then broke off to create Dying Light. A sequel to that game is also in development at the moment, but it seems much more ambitious than the original and puts more emphasis on story and a dynamic world.
Yager Development was removed from Dead Island and was replaced with Sumo Digital, a studio known for games like LittleBigPlanet 3 and Team Sonic Racing. However, it was also removed from the project and Deep Silver Dambuster Studios took up development duties. Its only released game to date is the critically-panned Homefront: The Revolution.
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