‘Dead Island 2’ is real and will be released on February 3, 2023

Dead Island 2 coming. The highly anticipated zombie-killing role-playing game is coming to PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia and PC via the Epic Games Store on February 3, 2023. Deep Silver showed the blood-soaked sequel with a cinematic trailer and a gameplay video during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live showcase.

Dead Island 2 will feature six playable characters with unique voice acting and traits, and it’s all set in Los Angeles. The game is designed as a love letter to cult classic horror movies and old Hollywood vibes: it has a meaty story to follow, classic RPG elements, and a co-op mode for up to three players. All six main characters are customizable, and a brand new skill system allows players to customize their specs on the fly. There are also dozens of individual zombie types to defeat.

Dead Island 2 is the full sequel to the 2011 hit Dead Island, although there have been smaller episodes in the series. The game was announced in 2014 and has been essentially in development hell ever since, lost between a handful of studio sales and team swaps. It’s now underway at Deep Silver’s Dambuster Studios, which was being worked on Home front: the revolution.

In an unexpected collaboration, Dead Island 2 will be the first title displayed Alexa game controller, a service from Amazon that allows players to yell at a game and make it respond appropriately. At least that’s the idea. You don’t need an Echo device to use voice commands in Dead Island 2, just a headset with a microphone. And most notably, you don’t have to start every sentence with “Alexa.” The tech responds to key phrases such as “trade for my best weapon” or “where is the nearest workbench?” You can also manipulate hordes of undead by saying “hey zombie,” which sounds like good, old-fashioned fun.