Dead Island
Genre(s)Action role-playing, survival horror
Developer(s)Techland, Dambuster Studios, Fatshark, Stunlock Studios
Publisher(s)Deep Silver
Platform(s)Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
First releaseDead Island
September 6, 2011; 12 years ago (2011-09-06)
Latest releaseDead Island 2
April 21, 2023; 11 months ago (2023-04-21)

Dead Island is an action role-playing survival horror video game series published by Deep Silver[1] for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and mobile platforms iOS and Android. There are four installments in the series, with the latest one released on April 21, 2023. Dead Island is centered on the challenge of surviving a zombie-infested open world island with a major emphasis on melee combat.

Dead Island was originally announced at E3 2006,[2] but was pushed back to 2011. It was initially released on September 6 in North America, September 9 in PAL regions, and October 20 in Japan. A stand-alone expansion, Dead Island: Riptide, was released in 2013 while a sequel, Dead Island 2, was released in 2023.

A spin-off, Escape Dead Island, was released in 2014. A MOBA game based on the Dead Island series called Dead Island: Epidemic was cancelled during the open beta phase in 2015. The free-to-play title had been available on Steam early access since May 2014, but eventually never saw a full release and was completely shut down.

Video games

Title Details
Dead Island

Original release date(s):
  • NA: September 6, 2011
  • PAL: September 9, 2011
  • JP: October 20, 2011
 Release years by system:
2011 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, OS X, Linux
Notes:
Dead Island: Riptide

Original release date(s):
  • NA: April 23, 2013
  • AU: April 23, 2013
  • EU: April 26, 2013
  • JP: July 11, 2013
 Release years by system:
2013 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
Notes:
  • Last game in the series developed by the IP creator Techland.
  • Acts as a standalone expansion to the original Dead Island
Escape Dead Island

Original release date(s):
  • NA: November 18, 2014
  • EU: November 21, 2014
  • AU: November 28, 2014
 Release years by system:
2014 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
Notes:
Dead Island: Epidemic

Original release date(s):
December 8, 2014[3] 		Release years by system:
2014 – Windows[3]
Notes:
  • A multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game
  • Acts as a spin-off of the series
  • Developed by Stunlock Studios and published by Deep Silver
  • Shut down in September 2015[4]
Dead Island: Definitive Edition

Original release date(s):
May 31, 2016 		Release years by system:
2016 – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Notes:
  • A high definition remaster of both Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide.
  • Also includes Dead Island: Retro Revenge, a side-scrolling bonus game developed by Empty Clip Studios in collaboration with Platform and Powerhouse Animation Studios.
Dead Island Survivors

Original release date(s):[5]
July 4, 2018 		Release years by system:
July 4, 2018 – Android, iOS
Notes:
  • Game was shut down in July 2020.
Dead Island 2

Original release date(s):
April 21, 2023[6] 		Release years by system:
2023 – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Notes:

Related media

Comic

A one-issue comic book version of the series was released by Marvel Comics. It begins with Roger Howard, an investigative journalist, as he looks into the illegal exploitation of Banoi Island's resources. He appeared in the game as a voice, leaving behind tape recordings.

The story begins just as Roger Howard arrives. He explains why he's at the Royal Palms Resort, and then begins to target Kenneth Ballard the Royal Palms' manager. After gaining access to his office, Roger finds detailed files on Xian Mei, Purna, Logan Carter, and Sam B. After going through the files, Roger hears a knock on the door. Before opening it, he tries to explain that he was looking for the bathroom. Unfortunately, after opening the door, he comes face-to-face with a zombie. The story suddenly ends, with Roger's fate unknown. In the video game, various audio logs of Roger are found, with him slowly going insane from being infected. When the survivors reach the prison, they find his last audio log, implying a prison guard had killed him once becoming infected, with the recording found next to (presumably) Roger's corpse.

The audio logs detail his journey. Revealing that he and a group of survivors tried to escape into the jungle, but had crashed. The driver and Roger were attacked by an infected Orangutan, with the driver dying and Roger escaping. Roger makes it to the prison, and states he's making this log for scientists to see the full symptoms of infection, but starts hallucinating about his son.

Film

On September 27, 2011, Lionsgate announced that they acquired rights to develop a film based on the game's announcement trailer. As its portrayal of a family desperately fighting for their lives provided artistic inspiration.[7] The studio was reported to join with Occupant Entertainment (Producer Co.) and Deep Silver (Gaming Co.) with filming set to begin in 2015. As of 2022 no official update has been given.[8]

Novel

A novel based on the events of the first game, and written by Mark Morris was released concurrently with Dead Island in 2011.

References

  1. ^ Purchese, Rob (February 17, 2011). "Dead Island published by Deep Silver". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  2. ^ "E3 06: Dead Island Preshow Report". May 10, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Welcome to Open Beta". Steam. Valve. December 8, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  4. ^ O'Connor, Alice (September 19, 2015). "Dead Island: Epidemic MOBA Shutting Down". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  5. ^ Sholtz, Matthew (July 3, 2018). "Deep Silver finally gets around to releasing 'Dead Island: Survivors' on Android". Android Police. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  6. ^ Yang, George (February 14, 2023). "Dead Island 2 Release Date Moved Forward by One Week". IGN. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  7. ^ "Lionsgate Developing Dead Island Video Game Movie". WorstPreviews.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  8. ^ Yamato, Jen (August 1, 2014). "It's Alive! 'Dead Island' Vidgame Movie Rises Again". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
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