The journey of Dead Island 2 from its announcement to its eventual release was anything but smooth. This action-RPG faced a tumultuous nine-year development cycle, undergoing multiple studio changes. Martin Wein, formerly Deep Silver’s head of communications, recently shared insights into the game`s initial state after its reveal at Sony’s E3 2014 press conference. He candidly admitted that the game, as it existed then, “sucked.”
Speaking at a Develop:Brighton panel, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Wein, now a consultant with GameFlex, discussed the challenges. When asked if he recalled instances where marketing or player research significantly impacted game development, Wein humorously responded:
“I can actually give you an example where myself and the product team caused about an eight-year product delay.”
Wein explained that despite his team`s immense pride in the reveal trailer—which depicted a jogger transforming into a zombie—a crucial milestone review with the then-developer, Yager (known for Spec Ops: The Line), occurred roughly a month later. He stated bluntly, “And boy, that game sucked.”
Yager was removed from the project in 2015. Wein criticized their version, saying it “had nothing to do with what made the original Dead Island really fun.” Furthermore, a playtest yielded “horrific feedback,” which Yager promised to address but, according to Wein, failed to do. This pivotal moment initiated a cascade of delays for Dead Island 2, leading to development being passed to Sumo Digital, and ultimately, Dambuster Studios delivered the final product.
Wein underscored the difficult nature of such decisions, asserting:
“Sometimes you have to make hard decisions. Because we could have, at that point, put out a shit game. It might have made some money, but it would have killed the franchise.”
In 2019, Koch Media articulated a similar viewpoint, suggesting that Dead Island 2’s extensive development period was ultimately advantageous. The game finally launched in 2023, achieving remarkable commercial success by selling over 3 million copies globally.