While most were anticipating a 2016 release for the sequel to the popular zombie survival game "Dead Island", it appears that Sumo Digital, which replaced Yager Development, did not provide any mention of the title at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016.
It has already been almost a year since their expected August 2015 release, by which time they announced that the release will be postponed to 2016 due to the developer failing to complete the game in time. Acording to Science World Report, other rumors even state that the game might be completely cancelled altogether, since the main developers Deep Silver and Yager Development went their separate ways a year ago. Last May, the game's title was also removed from Steam's main search engine.
According to Mobile 'n' Apps, the original sequel was supposed to be developed by Techland, but they let it go so that they could work on "Dying Light". Yager Devepment took over in 2012. "Dead Island 2" was then announced at the press conference for PlayStation during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014. They also provided a demo gameplay with what is to be expected from the new installment at Gamescon 2014. They failed to provide a release last year, but eager players shouldn't give up hope yet: The UK studio Sumo Digital took over its development last March. Deep Silver also confirmed via their Twitter page that more details about "Dead Island 2" will be revealed at a later stage.
Deep Silver also mentioned that Sumo Digital is the best option for the sequel's development.
"It just made perfect sense for us to move the project to them. We will reveal more details at a later stage, but for now I'd like to say that we are obviously super excited about the progress that we are making with them." they said.
CrossMap mentions that Steam deleting "Dead Island 2" from their page might mean that they will be re-revealed on the page once it has been confirmed. Nobody knows yet whether the sequel will maintain the free-running elements from the original, but it will be an interesting experience either way.
While several fans are hoping for a 2016 release, they'll just have to satisfy themselves with the original game. "Dead Island Definitive Edition" and "Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition" are currently available on the PS4, Xbox One and PC platforms for $39.99.
