There have been quite a few zombie games to make an impact on the survival-horror genre, but one of the most beloved is Dead Island. Developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver, this action RPG garnered a lot of attention for its island setting and absolutely insane combat action.

Whether you wanted to bash a zombie’s head with a pick ax or just swing away with a bat, the killing possibilities in Dead Island were truly limitless. The story was also pretty decent, featuring all sorts of NPCs and thrilling moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoa-Sjuq07g

The game was so successful that it really was a no-brainer to follow it up with a sequel. Deep Silver tried in conjunction with Techland, but were unsuccessful. Techland then went on to make Dying Light — one of the most popular zombie games ever — while Deep Silver passed the torch over to Yager.

They would work long enough on Dead Island 2 to come up with a demo. Unfortunately, differences between developer and publisher caused a standstill in the project. The publisher then moved on to developers Sumo Digital and Dambuster. The latter is currently working on the project, but there is no hard timeline for a release.

With the project still up in the air, many have wondered what this sequel would be like. Fortunately thanks to some recent leaks, fans don’t have to keep guessing. There is — in fact — a playable build of Dead Island 2 somewhere on the internet.

A couple of gamers have shared the build via YouTube, which gives us the best look at the project that has ever been available. It’s important to note that the build is from the developer Yager.

The gameplay footage shows a tropical setting, which isn’t surprising. It also highlights some of the weapons. We see an electric-charged sword and a powerful crossbow. The sword is shown hacking through zombies in close confines, while the crossbow is used effectively from a distance.

Already, this build is showing a lot of promise and highlights what could have been from Yager. It’s a shame they weren’t able to continue working on the project, but now it’s up to Dambuster to come through in a big way.

A lot is riding on this project and you can feel the pressure mounting as we draw closer into 2020. Hopefully, Dead Island 2 comes out sooner rather than later because it really could be the sequel that zombie gaming enthusiasts have all been dreaming of.