Dead Island 2recently released to huge amounts of anticipation, with the title having been in a tumultuous development cycle for a full decade. Being a sequel to its popular and well-received 2011 predecessor, there is plenty of dicussion about what it currently offers in its launch state.
While aspects ofDead Island 2such as its shaky development may have hindered the amount of content that it has launched with, the game should look closer to other titles likeDead Spaceafter releasing its post-launch ethos of content. In this same frame of mind, the title would be wise to follow the approach to post-launch content that comparable titles such as the recentCallisto Protocolhave employed, which arguably hinder the overall gameplay experience and player retention of a release.
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The Callisto Protocollaunched in December 2022 as a spiritual successor tothe highly-acclaimedDead Spaceseries, which held great influence within the survival horror genre during the 2000s and 2010s. It is worth noting that there is an inherent similarity betweenThe Callisto ProtocolandDead Island 2, with both titles being long awaited successors (one official and one spiritual) to beloved IPs that stress exploration and horror elements in their core gameplay.
Unlike the originalDead Spaceor even its 2023 remake,The Callisto Protocollaunched in a state where a lot of content was still set to be added via post-launch updates, leaving fans with a relatively barebones product to engage with upon its release. In the weeks and months following its launch,The Callisto Protocolhas added things such as new game modesand other improvements via continuous updates, which of course aid the game but at the cost of coming at a time where many players have already moved on to other titles. When compared to the massively well-receivedDead Space, which offered all of its content off the bat at launch, it is clear to see just how important near-launch content is for titles, andDead Island 2should keep this in mind for its own post-launch roadmap.
As is the norm with many contemporary titles, it is confirmed thatDead Island 2will offer comprehensive post-launch contentin the way of an Expansion Pass for the game’s main story. Of course, these expansions are likely to be significant and detailed, and sensibly need to be spaced out across the title’s post-launch lifecycle to be best received by fans and be properly polished.
However, this same attitude should not be extended to more minor content drops forDead Island 2going forward. Like the aforementionednew game modes ofCallisto Protocol, similar updates toDead Island 2should come much sooner rather than later, giving fans a more complete package of gameplay experiences during the period in which the most players will be engaging with the title.
Givenhow long fans have been waiting forDead Island 2, the sad reality is that the level of criticism and scrutiny that is being placed on the game has only increased, and it can be said that a perceived lack of launch content is one of the most reoccurring criticisms for titles in the gaming industry contemporarily. WhileDead Island 2should wait to release its more ambitious post-launch content, it should take a page fromCallisto Protocol’s book in terms of how fast it delivers smaller waves of content closer to launch.
Dead Island 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
