In an industry where secrets rarely remain secrets, another one may have slipped through the cracks to become public knowledge. Dead Island 2, which has had an excruciatingly long and extremely complicated development life, may finally be on the verge of releasing if a leak from global mega-retailer Amazon is anything to go by. Following years of development turmoil, changeovers of development studios, and delay after endless delay, it looks like we may be on the verge of an official reveal that the game is coming to consoles and PC on February 3, 2023.
Eagle-eyed internet sleuth Wario64, who is well regarded for all of the bargains that he/she shares with the world, had been doing some poking around on the Amazon website, only to discover the existence of a Dead Island 2: Day One Edition. Upon closer inspection of the listing, the aforementioned release date, of February 3, 2023 was discovered to be embedded in the game’s listing. As well as the release date, we managed to learn quite a lot about the game’s plot thanks to details listed along with the game’s date:
“A deadly virus is spreading across Los Angeles, California, turning its inhabitants into ravenous zombies,” reads the listing’s product description. “The city is in quarantine and the military have retreated. Bitten, infected, but more than just immune, you learn to harness the zombie inside. Only you, and the handful of other swaggering fellows who happen to be resistant to the pathogen, holds the future of LA (and humanity), in the balance. As you uncover the truth behind the outbreak you’ll discover who – or what – you are. Survive, evolve, save the world – just another day in LA!”
Further details about the game, as per the game’s listing discuss 6 playable protagonists, the nature of the destroyed City of Angels, and the contents of the aforementioned Day 1 Edition:
- “Dead Island 2 takes players across the most iconic locations of the City of Angels, now stained with horror, in an exciting pulp journey from the verdant suburbia of Beverly Hills to the quirky promenade of Venice Beach
- Combat delivers the most intense, visceral, and gory first-person experience possible, with plenty of weapons and tactical (and brutal) options to chew your way through the zombie horde
- There are 6 characters to choose from, each with their own unique personality and dialogues – You can fully customize the abilities of each Slayer, with our brand-new skill system allowing you to re-spec instantly and try out the craziest builds.
- Our LA is crawling with zombies that look & react realistically – These mutated wretches are the reanimated, rotten heart of Dead Island 2 with dozens of distinct zombie types, each with their own mutations, attacks & hundreds of LA-themed variants
- Day 1 Edition includes the Memories of Banoi Pack – Banoi War Club, Memories of Banoi Baseball Bat, Weapon Perk – balanced, Personal space skill card”
The listing also showed off the game’s box art, and a number of screenshots that Wario64 captured in a tweet just in case the retailer realises the error of their ways and removes the listing. Since the inital listing for PS4 was discovered, the account has shared links to each of the PS5, and Xbox One/Series SKU’s, all of which, as of the time of writing are still live. With Geoff’ Keighley’s GamesCom Opening Night Live event being around the corner, one can assume that Dead Island 2 is supposed to be amongst the list of World Premieres.
