Among Microsoft’s numerous highly anticipated titles included the long-in-development sequelState of Decay 3. First announced prior to the Xbox Series X’s release in 2020,State of Decay 3has trucked along through its development despite allegations of development issues at Undead Labs. After several years with very minuscule updates, the game finally resurfaced at the Xbox Games Showcase this year, complete with the first look at gameplay.
Even so, the re-announcement of the game came and went with no news of a release date. Even after all the time it’s spent in development—and with it arguably being closer than it’s ever been—it’s still not clear when the game will be ready to go. Furthermore, once it is ready to go, it’s going to face quite a hefty amount of competition in carving out its own niche.
State of Decay 3 Has A Huge Mountain To Climb
State of Decay 3 Won’t Be The Only Zombie Game Around
Perhaps the biggest factor thatState of Decay 3will have to contend with when it releases is that it will be launching into a verycrowded market of zombie-based games. This probably shouldn’t be too big of a surprise, as zombie-based games have rarely gone out of style in today’s gaming market. Nevertheless, it’s more notable in the case ofState of Decay 3because it will be launching into a market of fellow recognizable zombie IPs.
Currently, fans of zombie-based gaming have a lot to look forward to, as theDying Lightfranchise is set to receive a new game, whileDead Island 2has continued to receive a bevy of new content in the last year.No More Room in Hell 2has also recently been released in early access, which may take some of the wind out ofState of Decay 3’s sails as a multiplayer option for gamers.
Finally, rumors are starting to fly thatBack 4 Bloodwill be receiving a sequel, which will offer another multiplayer zombie alternative for interested gamers.
State of Decay 3’s Biggest Enemy Might Be Itself
Beyond the sheer amount of competition,State of Decay 3will have to face a challenge that many long-in-development games have: the weight of its own expectations. Game development is a much longer process than a game’s announcement-to-release window may indicate, butState of Decay 3has gone through very long periods of radio silence from Microsoft. Expectations naturally start to mount when developers leave gamers wanting more, especially when the games go through years with no information. Thus,State of Decay 3is in a position where its biggest enemy may be itself.
It seems likeState of Decay 3still has a long way to go before it’s ready for a proper release. Plus, once that proper release comes, it may enter into a market stacked to the nines withfellow zombie-based competition. Here’s hoping Microsoft and Undead Labs can steer it through its long development and it can carve out its own niche as a worthy follow-up.
