Dead Island 2 Would've Killed Franchise: Ex-Exec

A former communications lead at Deep Silver, publisher of Dead Island 2, has publicly addressed the game's tumultuous eight-year delay following dismal feedback from early playtests.

Speaking candidly at Develop:Brighton (as covered by GamesIndustry.biz), Martin Wein—now with GameFlex Consultants—detailed the sequel's troubled journey. After a critical milestone review with then-developer Yager, executives concluded the game in its state simply "wasn’t working."

Initially unveiled at E3 2014, Dead Island 2 vanished from public view when Deep Silver and Yager parted ways due to "mutual differences." Development later shifted to Sumo Digital before landing at Dambuster Studios in 2019. Despite re-emerging in August 2022 after years of silence, another delay pushed its release to April 2023 following a December 2022 showcase.

"We were incredibly proud of that [reveal] trailer," Wein admitted. "But weeks later, during a milestone review with the external studio handling development at the time... well, the game just wasn't delivering."

"It lacked everything that made the original Dead Island enjoyable. Playtest results were disastrous—players found it unfun, unengaging, and utterly disconnected from the franchise."

Wein recalled escalating concerns with the studio: "They insisted on sticking to their vision rather than addressing feedback. Ultimately, Deep Silver made the difficult call to find a new team—even if it meant restarting development."

"We could've rushed out a mediocre product. Short-term sales? Maybe. But it would've buried the IP," he added. "I wasn’t privy to all internal discussions, but prioritizing fan expectations over stubborn creative decisions was non-negotiable."

Upon its belated 2023 launch, IGN's Dead Island 2 review awarded it a 7/10, praising its "hilarious, gory combat" while noting its "lack of innovation beyond humor."