It has been a long time coming, but Dambuster Studios has finally released the sequel to 2011's zombie-smashing Dead Island. For many years, Dead Island 2 seemed lost in development hell, initially moving from original series developer Techland to Yager Development, then to Sumo Digital. The project changed hands multiple times, which lead to the franchise going on hiatus, although Deep Silver's Dambuster team eventually took the reins to build Dead Island 2 from the ground up. The years of stop-and-go development took its toll in some ways, as fans of the first game were left with little to go off of, much like the upcoming Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake.
Last year, it was reported that Saber Interactive would be taking over development duties for the Star Wars: KOTOR Remake, almost a year after its initial announcement. Aspyr, a studio with a history of releasing modern Star Wars remasters on consoles and mobile, was formerly attached to the project though not much else was confirmed about its involvement. It is still unknown how far Aspyr was into production, or what progress might have been lost in the wake of that transition. Yet, the overall situation might not be entirely hopeless given the parallels between the KOTOR Remake's current state of development and Dead Island 2's complicated journey to release.
Dead Island 2's Solid Launch Proves Delays Are Sometimes Necessary
Now that Dead Island 2 has launched, however, gamers can now judge the final result of those years of work. Surprisingly, Dead Island 2 seems to have defied the odds, which may give some hope that KOTOR could be in the right hands. Based on early reviews of Dead Island 2, Dambuster was probably the right studio for the job; the sequel seems to retain a lot of the first game's absurdity whilst setting a tight scope that focuses on bloody and fun melee combat. These positive impressions, although not without caveats, demonstrate quite clearly that scope, vision, and game design in an established property sometimes requires a fresh start.
Whether it is a remake or sequel in a beloved franchise, there is usually a standard of quality that is assumed, and this is especially true for the Star Wars: KOTOR Remake. KOTOR was a massive BioWare RPG for its time, translating the depth of its genre-defining Baldur's Gate games into a space fantasy adventure that also felt authentic to the Star Wars license. It is among the best Star Wars games, and its status as a classic means that there is additional pressure to respect that legacy with an overhaul that doesn't stray too far from the original.
Managing Release Expectations For the Star Wars: KOTOR Remake
With news about the KOTOR Remake in short supply, it's understandable that Star Wars fans could feel frustrated by the apparent lack of news after such a shakeup. Delays are not always received well, even if they are necessary, because they can deflate the excitement of those who expected the game sooner than it might actually be ready. Game production can be an evolving situation, so it's important that there is a level of communication between publishers and the audience to build that sense of trust.
Even though it took longer for Dead Island 2 to truly deliver, Dambuster Studios appears to have set realistic goals that were in line with the zombie IP's core identity, which is a lesson that Saber Interactive should take going into its remake of KOTOR. In fact, Dambuster stepping in may have let Dead Island 2 survive despite past development issues at other studios. BioWare created KOTOR with a very deliberate set of game mechanics and storytelling devices that are appreciated to this day, and Dead Island 2 has shown that even a decade later, a formula can be modernized faithfully as long as it is pursued with the right resources and a technically sound foundation.
Dead Island 2 is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
