The journey to Dead Island 2's eventual release was far from smooth, as revealed by former Deep Silver executive Martin Wein. In a surprising disclosure, Wein shared that the initial version of the game was so poorly received internally that it risked "killing the franchise" entirely. Fortunately, players ultimately experienced the polished final product rather than this disastrous early iteration, though the road to completion was long and winding.

Following the success of the original Dead Island in 2011, anticipation grew for a sequel. The 2014 announcement trailer generated excitement among fans, but behind the scenes, development struggles were mounting. The project changed hands multiple times—from Yager Development to Sumo Digital, and finally to Deep Silver's internal studio Dambuster—as the team worked to salvage the troubled title.

During a panel at Develop: Brighton (reported by GamesIndustry.biz), Wein provided startling insights into the original version's flaws. After gaining access to the game post-E3 reveal, the team discovered it "sucked" and bore little resemblance to what made the first Dead Island enjoyable. Playtesting yielded "horrific feedback," prompting Deep Silver to delay the game and ultimately switch development studios when the original team prioritized their own vision over player input.

Wein emphasized the difficulty of these decisions, noting that while releasing the subpar version might have generated short-term profits, it would have permanently damaged the franchise's reputation. "It might have made some money, but it would have killed the franchise," he stated bluntly.

After nearly a decade in development hell, Dead Island 2 finally launched in 2023 to generally positive reception, earning a 75 average score on OpenCritic. The game proved commercially successful as well, selling over 4 million units by February 2025—a strong showing, though slightly below the original game's 5 million copies.

While no official announcement has been made regarding Dead Island 3, the sequel's success and substantial post-launch support—including a major update in 2024—suggest the franchise may continue. Whether fans will need to wait another decade for the next installment remains to be seen, but the dramatic turnaround from nearly franchise-killing disaster to successful revival stands as a testament to the value of difficult development decisions.