Early game announcements can create excitement, but they can also be followed by years of silence, long delays, or even cancellations if they’re too pre-emptive. That was also the case with State of Decay 3, which remained quiet for years before finally returning to the spotlight with its first alpha tests now scheduled for May. Curiously, Undead Labs has actually now also explained why the project remained largely silent following its 2020 announcement.
In a recent interview with Sunny Games, studio head Philip Holt explained how early the project still was when Xbox first revealed it. Speaking about the 2020 teaser, he said, There really wasn’t a game when we were working on that trailer. Like, it was so early. The game was in a Word document.” The teaser, which featured the now-famous zombie deer, was a fully pre-rendered concept video created by Blur and did not reflect an actual playable build. At the time, only four or five people were working on early ideas for the sequel – entirely in text form!
He explained that the teaser was based on some of the studio’s early ideas, but not all of them made it into the final version of the game. This includes the famous zombie deer and other infected animals, which Holt has now confirmed will not appear in State of Decay 3.
Despite this, the overall direction of State of Decay 3 is now starting to take shape. As mentioned earlier, Undead Labs has also opened registration for upcoming alpha tests beginning in May, which are set to include “4-player co-op, some new base-building and resource strategies, and a whole lot of combat.” While the game still does not have a release date, these updates suggest that, after years of silence, State of Decay 3 is finally entering the later stages of development.
In related news, the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, could bring a major update for State of Decay 3, possibly including a release date reveal and fresh gameplay footage.
