Delays are a common occurrence in the video game industry. It's often the case that a game will be announced with a release date slated long before the developer has made any serious headway on the project, making a delay almost inevitable. Indie and AAA games alike suffer from delays, and it's simply a necessary evil to ensure that the game releases in a finished state. But every so often, a project can be delayed not only out of its original release year, but out of any release slate altogether, leading to its indefinite disappearance. And this was exactly the case with Dead Island 2.
Originally announced with the infamous boardwalk trailer all the way back in 2014, Dead Island 2 is finally set to hit store shelves in just a few weeks' time, almost 9 years after that announcement. Though the industry is still waiting with bated breath to see how Dead Island 2 turns out, it is somewhat of a miracle to see it actually release, and it gives new hope to other video game projects stuck in development hell, just like the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake.
The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake Might Follow In Dead Island 2's Footsteps
Announced at E3 2014, Dead Island 2 was originally slated for a Q2 2015 release, a window which it would miss in spectacular fashion. In July 2015, after some alleged creative differences, Dead Island 2's developer Yager was dropped by publisher Deep Silver, and the project swapped hands, landing in the lap of an unnamed studio. In March 2016, it was announced that Sumo Digital was now working on Dead Island 2, and over the next few years Deep Silver would continue to state that the game was definitely still in development, despite fans not having seen anything since its 2014 announcement.
In August 2019, it was announced that Dead Island 2 had been passed around yet again, this time landing with Dambuster Studios, the team behind this current iteration of the long-awaited sequel. In 2022, fans finally got their first look at this version of Dead Island 2, and while it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing - with a few minor delays occurring since - Dead Island 2 looks as though it'll be ready for its April 21, 2023 release date. Though it may have taken nine years, Dead Island 2 will launch, and it will no longer be remembered as just that one game stuck in development hell.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Aspyr's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake may be clambering into a similar boat. Announced back in September 2021, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake had reportedly been in the works for around three years prior to its reveal, and a 2022 release date was being targeted by developer Aspyr. With no official news, fans expected development to be going fairly smoothly, despite Aspyr's worrisome lack of experience in creating a game of this scale. But in July 2022, a report by Bloomberg stated that the game had been delayed indefinitely, following several of Aspyr's lead members being fired from the project, and following an apparently disappointing vertical slice demo.
With Saber Interactive now possibly at the helm, it seems like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake is in slightly safer hands, but no more official statements on the game's development have been made, leading many fans to speculate that they might not see the game for years, if at all. But if Dead Island 2 is about to teach the industry anything, it's that even the most troubled games can still make it out of the gate - it just might take a while.
Dead Island 2 is set to release on April 21st on PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
