Original Dead Island 2 In 2014 “Sucked,” Says Former Deep Silver Exec

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As a gamer, I’d put it this way: Man, the road to Dead Island 2 has been anything but smooth sailing. From its initial unveil at Sony’s E3 2014 press conference, it took nearly a decade for this action-RPG to finally launch. Along the way, it switched studios more times than I care to count. Now, Martin Wein, ex-head of communications at Deep Silver, has spilled some beans about what went down behind the scenes. In essence, the game back then was as enjoyable as a mouthful of sand – his words, not mine!

According to GamesIndustry.biz, during a panel at Develop:Brighton, Wein shared insights into Dead Island 2’s development, recalling an instance where marketing or player research significantly impacted the project timeline. “I can even provide you with a specific example that led to approximately an eight-year delay in product launch,” said Wein.

With GameFlex Consultants, Wein expressed his team’s great pride upon unveiling Dead Island 2’s reveal trailer (the one you just watched). It starts with a runner on the beach, only to transform into a zombie. Approximately a month after the trailer’s release, Wein admitted that there was a significant development milestone achieved by the studio in charge at the time, but he added that “that game really didn’t live up to expectations.

Previously, the team behind Spec Ops: The Line, Yager, were engaged on Dead Island 2 prior to their dismissal in 2015. Wein explained that the game at the time bore little resemblance to what made the original Dead Island enjoyable. He mentioned that they received harsh criticism during a playtest, feedback they intended to rectify. However, according to Wein, these changes were not implemented, resulting in numerous delays for Dead Island 2. Eventually, Sumo Digital took over development duties before Dambuster Studios completed the final version of the game.

At times, I’ve had to face tough choices, as we were on the brink of releasing a subpar game. While it might have generated revenue, such a move would have potentially destroyed our cherished franchise instead.

2019 found me echoing Koch Media’s sentiments about the extended development of Dead Island 2 – a belief that it was a positive step. Fast forward to 2023, and this sequel has stormed onto shelves, selling an impressive 3 million units worldwide. For a deeper dive into this thrilling gameplay experience, be sure to check out TopMob’s comprehensive review of Dead Island 2.

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2025-07-16 18:09