When a game is stuck in development for such a long time, it is difficult to not be concerned about the game is going to turn out in the end.Games likeDuke Nukem Foreverhave shown that a longer development time did not benefit the final product while others likeThe Last GuardianandKingdom Hearts 3ended up being worthwhile products. The upcomingDead Island 2is such a game that has languished in development. The game was announced in 2014 at E3, though it did not have many updates outside of rumors for years. With little concrete evidence that the game was still in the works, it seemed abandoned until Gamescom 2022, where it received a trailer.
The firstDead Islandgame is something of a cult classic among gamers with its fair share of ups and downs. Despite the mixed reception, the game did well enough to warrant a sequel.Dead Island’s zombie action built around environmental weapons was rarely seen outside of games like theDead Risingseries. All the sequel has to do is improve on the rougher areas of focus from the first game to make a fun action-packed co-op zombie game. However, with the game’s release date of February 3 approaching soon, the lack of a big marketing push is concerning for the future ofDead Island 2.
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Dead Island 2might have one of the most memorable reveal trailers in recent years. When the jogger-centric trailer was shown off in 2014, it stuck with players for a long time. It became so iconic that the reveal trailer forGoat Simulator 3parodied it.Dead Island 2’s official reveal trailerreleased not long after that, as well as new gameplay footage. The summer of 2022 had more talk aroundDead Island 2than any time before since its E3 trailer in 2014. The problem is that there has been little marketing or updates for the game since those trailers.
With all the buzz aroundDead Island 2from the summer, it should be a no-brainer for Deep Silver to capitalize on the hype and show a little more every month or so. With how little information has been given sinceDead Island 2’s reveal,theGoat Simulator 3trailer parodying the gameis arguably more memorable than the game itself. It is easy to forget thatDead Island 2even exists with how little people have seen from it, which is not a good sign considering its approaching release date.
An unfortunate reality is that good games can underperform due to a lack of a marketing push by their publishers. For example,Soul Hackers 2from Atlus struggled to reach its expected sales level partially because there was not a big push by Sega as the game’s release date was approaching.Other examples likeTitanfall 2have not done well due to a lack of acknowledgment from its publisher and poor planning around its release date. It would be a shame for a game that has been in development for as long asDead Island 2to fail because there wasn’t enough support behind it.
There are a lot of good games set to release in February 2023.Dead Island 2may be releasing earlier in the month, but games likeHogwarts Legacy,Like a Dragon: Ishin!,Octopath Traveler 2, andWild Heartsare releasing shortly after.Dead Island 2doesn’t need an ambitious marketing campaign to be a success, but it does need some effort put into the marketing to remind players of its upcoming release. If players forget that the game even exists come February, they will opt to buy other games that stand out more in their minds.
Dead Island 2launches on Jul 24, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
