There are very few games that enter development limbo and actually manage to come out. Against all odds,Dead Island 2has been one of those lucky few. Technically announced all the way back in 2014,Dead Island 2has been in various states of development for almost a decade, and now it’s actually out, allowing the masses to play it, and for the most part people think it’s fine. For many fans,Dead Island 2hasn’t exactly been worth the wait, but when it comes toHollow Knight: Silksong, that likely won’t be the case.
Starting development as just a DLC expansion,Hollow Knight: Silksongquickly expanded its scope during development, and is now launching as a fully-fledged sequel to the incredibly successful2017 Indie hit,Hollow Knight. WhileHollow Knight: SilksongandDead Island 2aren’t quite on the same level in terms of development journeys, withSilksongonly being announced in 2019, it’s still become an infamously long-awaited title, and its next reveal could easily end up outdoing evenDead Island 2’s comeback announcement.
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Dead Island 2has one of the most infamous development journeys in gaming history. Announced in 2014,Dead Island 2was originally being developed Yager after originalDead Islanddeveloper Techland decided to jump ship and start work on the firstDying Lightgame for Warner Bros. Just a year later, Yager was dropped fromDead Island 2’s development, and Sumo Digital was eventually announced as the game’s new developer in 2016. And finally, in 2019, development onDead Island 2changed hands once more, this time to Dambuster Studios, who saw it through to completion.
WhenDead Island 2finally reared its head again atGamescom’s showcaselast year, fan reception was pretty mixed. At that point, it had been eight years sinceDead Island 2was first announced, and most had completely forgotten that the game was even still in development. And for those in the know,Dead Island 2seemed like a project that was doomed to fail, with it being a culmination of several studios' work, mish-mashed together over the course of almost a decade.
To top it off,Dead Island 2’s 2022 re-reveal trailer wasn’t all that exciting in itself. Despite being three minutes long,Dead Island 2’s re-reveal trailershows very little of what the game would actually look like. While the game’s L.A. setting was confirmed yet again, and the series' zombie-carving roots seemed intact,Dead Island 2’s announcement trailer didn’t actually show any gameplay, and it did little to convince skeptical gamers that it was a project finally worthy of releasing. But one saving grace ofDead Island 2’s trailer was its final title-card, which announced a February 2023 release date. And though it would end up getting delayed by a few months, having a release date finally attached toDead Island 2did help to make the game feel like a real product again.
Hollow Knight: Silksongis in a much better position. While the game has been in development for quite a few years now, it’s more than understandable, with Team Cherry being an incredibly small Indie studio. Fans also wantSilksongto be as high-quality as possible, and they’re more than willing to wait just so long as it releases in a good state. That being said,Hollow Knight: Silksongcan only hold fans' interest for so long, and it’s about time for another trailer. Thankfully,Hollow Knight: Silksongdoesn’t need to do too much to outdoDead Island 2’s re-reveal trailer. All it needs to do is show some more gameplay, maybe a few new abilities or bosses, and finally give fans a release date to look forward to, and hopefully one that’s close.
Hollow Knight: Silksongis in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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