Undead Labs, the developer behind the third-person survival horror State of Decay, has announced they would cease support for State of Decay 2 after Update 38 which is expected to be released later this year. The developer explained why it was necessary to take that decision.
“While you’ve enjoyed State of Decay 2 for many years, you may have heard that we are also hard at work on the next evolution of the franchise! Our ambition is to make the greatest zombie survival sim in the franchise, and to do so, we’ll be shifting our focus and resources to making the upcoming third installment, State of Decay 3.”
State of Decay 2 was released in 2018, roughly 5 years after the first game. Undead Labs has continued to furnish the game with regular updates and expansions. Since the game’s release, it has gotten new modes, maps, difficulties, stories, characters, weapons, cosmetics, bounties, vehicles, events, traits, and more.
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In addition to that, every update was shipped with player Wishlist requests, bug fixes, and quality-of-life improvements. However, doing that meant the development team for the next installment was stretched. By ceasing further work on the second installment, Undead Labs can now channel all its manpower towards making the State of Decay 3.
“You can expect a final content update for State of Decay 2 coming later this year,” the developer said. “This final update, Update 38, aims to fix some longstanding issues, implement additional quality of life improvements, and permanently unlock seasonal or otherwise previously-gated content, such as Winter outfits and the Wizard Van.”
In July, the studio released Update 37: A Light in the Dark which introduces recruitable survivors with new Blood Donor and EMT Driver traits, boosting aspects like morale, recovery, and cardio. The update was done in collaboration with the Red Cross.
Undead Labs’ future plan for State of Decay 2
For the sake of clarity, the cessation of updates from Undead Labs for State of Decay 2 doesn’t mean the game will become unplayable. Players who own the game or play on Game Pass will continue to have access to the game—and their saves will not be affected.
In fact, after Update 38, every content that was previously seasonal or locked behind a paywall (including Winter-themed cosmetics, Halloween masks and so on) will all be unlocked. These features will become available in the game as lootable items after the update. The main thing that is changing is that Undead Labs will no longer update the game with new content.
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While Undead Labs clearly states that Update 38 will be the last for the State of Decay 2, they also mentioned that, if need be, they “may release at least one hotfix” after the update. And yes, “the bounty packs from the Bounty Broker will continue to cycle automatically,” said Undead Labs. See the cycle schedule here.
Developers often encourage players to report bugs they encounter when playing games—and State of Decay 2 has done that too. However, after Update 38, Undead Labs will close the support system for the State of Decay 2. Consequently, players will no longer have the option to report bugs.
The studio has not given a definite time for the release of Update 38 nor have they confirmed when details of State of Decay 3 will be made public. However, they are “excited to devote ourselves to making the next game even better”.
Are you excited about State of Decay 3 or do you prefer Undead Labs continue to support State of Decay 2? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
