Summary
- State of Decay 2's final patch, Update 38, is confirmed, signifying the end of further content additions down the road.
- Undead Labs is shifting focus to State of Decay 3 to create the "greatest zombie survival sim in the franchise."
- Update 38 will address longstanding issues, unlock seasonal items permanently, and maintain Bounty Broker bounty packs.
State of Decay 2 studio Undead Labs has announced that the horror game will soon stop getting further content updates as the devs move on to working on State of Decay 3. The Microsoft-owned developer first announced the sequel to State of Decay 2 back in 2020 during an Xbox Games Showcase event.
Since coming out in 2018, State of Decay 2 has received extensive post-launch support from Undead Labs, with the developer adding several new features to the original game. In total, the post-apocalyptic survival game has been refreshed through 37 different content updates so far. Moreover, it was also re-released with improved graphics under the name State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition in 2020. This long run of development and support has now been confirmed to end soon.
Undead Labs shared that State of Decay 2's next update, Update 38, will be its final one. It stated that the motive behind this decision was "shifting our focus and resources" towards State of Decay 3's ongoing development, which the team aims to make "the greatest zombie survival sim in the franchise." The developer assured that, while it will stop shipping new content and stop supporting State of Decay 2 after Update 38, the game will continue to be available as usual to players on its current platforms. Similarly, this change will also not affect the saved games and saved communities of the players. However, the studio noted that they "may release" one last hotfix after the final update in case the need arises.
State of Decay 2 Developer Reveals Some Upcoming Content Changes
Undead Labs mentioned that State of Decay 2's final content update will resolve "some longstanding issues" and bring quality-of-life improvements. Additionally, players will permanently unlock all previously released seasonal items or gated content, such as the Wizard Van, which will become available in the game as loot after Update 38 releases. The Xbox first-party developer further confirmed that fans can expect Bounty Broker bounty packs to "continue to cycle automatically." It was also revealed that the final update will roll out "later this year," whereas no release window was mentioned for the forthcoming State of Decay sequel.
Over the past decade, Xbox's State of Decay IP has emerged as one of the more popular zombie games out there. Even though State of Decay 2 didn't come out to a positive reception like its predecessor, Undead Labs devs gradually improved the game and amassed a huge player base in the years following its debut. With the next entry in the series, fans will hope to see the State of Decay developer learn from past mistakes and ship the game in the best possible shape.
State of Decay 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 69 /100 Critics Rec: 31%
- Released
- May 22, 2018
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Undead Labs
- Publisher(s)
- Microsoft Game Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
WHERE TO PLAY
State of Decay 2 is an open-world survival-fantasy game set just after the zombie apocalypse. Your small community of survivors seeks to rebuild a corner of civilization, and you get to make all the decisions about how that happens.
You decide who to recruit to your team, where to settle your community, how to fortify and upgrade your base, and when it’s time to move to greener pastures. You select which survivor to bring along on a scavenging run for the food and ammo you need, and who you’ll use to fight off the zombies attacking your base. You choose how you’ll deal with other people who move into your town. Will you be friendly and welcoming... Or will you aggressively defend your territory?
Every player’s experience in the sandbox is unique. Each character in your community has their own special set of skills and traits, so no two communities are ever the same. The challenges you face also vary from game to game, based on who you recruit and the decisions you make along the way.
