It has been a long time coming, but Dambuster Studios has finally released the sequel to 2011’s zombie-smashingDead Island. For many years,Dead Island 2seemed lost in development hell, initially moving from original series developer Techland to Yager Development, then to Sumo Digital. The project changed hands multiple times, which lead to the franchise going on hiatus, although Deep Silver’s Dambuster team eventually took the reins to buildDead Island 2from the ground up. The years of stop-and-go development took its toll in some ways, as fans of the first game were left with little to go off of, much like the upcomingStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake.
Last year, it was reported that Saber Interactive would be taking over development duties for theStar Wars: KOTOR Remake, almost a year after its initial announcement. Aspyr, a studio with a history of releasing modernStar Warsremasters on consoles and mobile, was formerly attached to the project though not much else was confirmed about its involvement. It is still unknown how far Aspyr was into production, or what progress might have been lost in the wake of that transition. Yet, the overall situation might not be entirely hopeless given the parallels between theKOTOR Remake’s current state of developmentandDead Island 2’s complicated journey to release.
RELATED:Dead Island 2 Offers a New Hope for the KOTOR Remake
Now thatDead Island 2has launched, however, gamers can now judge the final result of those years of work. Surprisingly,Dead Island 2seems to have defied the odds, which may give some hope thatKOTORcould be in the right hands. Based onearly reviews ofDead Island 2, Dambuster was probably the right studio for the job; the sequel seems to retain a lot of the first game’s absurdity whilst setting a tight scope that focuses on bloody and fun melee combat. These positive impressions, although not without caveats, demonstrate quite clearly that scope, vision, and game design in an established property sometimes requires a fresh start.
Whether it is a remake or sequel in a beloved franchise, there is usually a standard of quality that is assumed, and this is especially true for theStar Wars: KOTOR Remake.KOTORwas a massive BioWare RPG for its time, translating the depth of its genre-definingBaldur’s Gategames into a space fantasy adventure that also felt authentic to theStar Warslicense. It is amongthe bestStar Warsgames, and its status as a classic means that there is additional pressure to respect that legacy with an overhaul that doesn’t stray too far from the original.
Managing Release Expectations For the Star Wars: KOTOR Remake
Withnews about theKOTOR Remakein short supply, it’s understandable thatStar Warsfans could feel frustrated by the apparent lack of news after such a shakeup. Delays are not always received well, even if they are necessary, because they can deflate the excitement of those who expected the game sooner than it might actually be ready. Game production can be an evolving situation, so it’s important that there is a level of communication between publishers and the audience to build that sense of trust.
Even though it took longer forDead Island 2to truly deliver, Dambuster Studios appears to have set realistic goals that were in line with the zombie IP’s core identity, which is a lesson that Saber Interactive should take going into its remake ofKOTOR. In fact, Dambuster stepping in may have letDead Island 2survive despite past development issuesat other studios. BioWare createdKOTORwith a very deliberate set of game mechanics and storytelling devices that are appreciated to this day, andDead Island 2has shown that even a decade later, a formula can be modernized faithfully as long as it is pursued with the right resources and a technically sound foundation.
Dead Island 2is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
