The first Dead Island was a big commercial hit when it released in 2011, despite earning some mixed reviews from critics. It spawned a franchise of its own, with the original game followed-up by Dead Island: Riptide and Escape Dead Island. A proper sequel, Dead Island 2, was first announced at Sony's E3 2014 press conference, but the game has been stuck in development hell ever since, changing developers multiple times and going completely silent. However, that's finally changed at Gamescom 2022, with Dead Island 2 re-revealed in the form of both a cinematic trailer and a short gameplay presentation.
Dead Island 2 was re-revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live to cap off the show. The Dead Island 2 announcement confirmed the previously-leaked release date of February 3, 2023, while also revealing one of the game's six playable characters, some gameplay footage, and more. While it's entirely possible that the game's release date will be pushed back again, it seems like Dead Island 2 fans can safely mark February 3 on their calendars.
The Dead Island 2 cinematic trailer is similar in tone to the original Dead Island 2 trailer, in that it is more light-hearted and colorful than the marketing for the original game. Whereas the original Dead Island was marketed as ultra-dark and serious, Dead Island 2 is more action-packed and over-the-top with its violence. The trailer stars new playable character Jacob, who is one of six playable characters that fans will get to play as come the game's launch in 2023.
With the Dead Island 2 release date less than a year away, fans were expecting to see more of the game than a cinematic trailer. Luckily, Gamescom delivered the good by releasing a brand-new gameplay trailer to go along with the cinematic footage. The Dead Island 2 gameplay footage shows players killing zombies in an open world Los Angeles ravaged by the undead, utilizing a variety of weapons and special attacks, like dropkicks.
It was said that Dead Island 2 is taking inspiration from B-horror movies, and that certainly seems to be the case going by the over-the-top trailer. Ultimately, it looks like the game is trying to be a faithful sequel that retains what fans enjoyed about the original Dead Island game, but dialing everything up to 11. Whether it all pays off remains to be seen, but fans will find out once they get their hands on the game early next year.
Dead Island 2 launches February 3 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
