Publisher Deep Silver and developer Dambuster Studios have announced the first wave of DLC for Dead Island 2, the same day parent company Embracer Group announced a drastic restructure that may impact both companies.
A number of free and paid-for additions to the zombie kill ‘em-up are out today alongside a quality of life patch. Players can now access the new Cosplay feature, unlocked during the Call The Cavalry quest. This includes new character skins. Elsewhere, there are six new premium character packs available. The patch adds several bug fixes and improvements revolving around client co-op, performance, and stability improvements.
Deep Silver detailed two expansions coming to Dead Island 2, each of which includes brand new missions, weapons, and skills as well as new areas to explore. The first expansion, called Haus, is due out during the fourth quarter of 2023. Here’s the official description: “How does a billionaire prepare for the zompocalypse? With a techno-death cult and a healthy splash of debauchery and gore.”
The second expansion is called SOLA Festival, “where LA's party people can greenwash their way to ecstasy and save the planet in true LA fashion, one rave at a time.” It's due out during the second quarter of 2024. Both expansions are included in Dead Island 2’s Expansion Pass and will be available to purchase separately.
Today, Embracer Group announced plans to close studios, cancel games, and lay off staff as part of a massive restructure that may have serious implications for Deep Silver. The company wants to prioritise high-profit projects and ditch those it believes will make less money.
Dambuster Studios may be safe, however, given Dead Island 2 sold more than one million units in three days. As part of today’s announcement, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said Dead Island 2 was one of the company’s “greatest successes so far”. Last year's Saints Row, also published by Deep Silver, fared less well, however.
IGN has asked Plaion, the publishing label that runs Deep Silver, for comment.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.