In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock (and you might if there’s a zombie apocalypse, I guess), Xbox State of Decay 3 It finally came out yesterday.
After many months of radio silence, Undead Labs has confirmed that it plans to conduct closed alpha testing for State of Decay 3 over the coming weeks and months, as it prepares for its planned launch runway in 2027.
As part of the announcement, Undead Labs sat down with an exclusive interview with YouTuber Sunny Games to offer a glimpse of what players can expect from State of Decay 3, and it all sounds incredibly positive.
Studio leader Philip Holt talked about the time period of State of Decay 3 and offered some clues about the game’s overall setting. “State of Decay 1 took place maybe a couple of weeks after the zombie outbreak. State of Decay 2 took place about a year after the zombie outbreak, although we haven’t been specific about timelines. This is when the government has collapsed and you’re truly alone. Your job is to find other communities or survivors to ally with. State of Decay 3 jumps years into the future.
So, you know, the group of survivors has now become a little more hardened. They have seen their share of death. The zombie threat is presented in a new way.”
Holt said that State of Decay 1 had “heart and soul” with its hand-crafted characters, and State of Decay 2 delved into systems and procedural generation. Undead Labs aims to bring together the best of both worlds for State of Decay 3, creating those harrowing zombie apocalypse stories while also delivering a deep systems-based experience.
Make sure you watch the full version and Excellent interview with Sunny Games here.but here is an overview of some of the key points.
- The original State of Decay 3 trailer was created when the game was a Word document.
- Unfortunately, there are no zombie animals, even though they are in the trailer.
- State of Decay 3 communities have a “makeshift culture” of scavenging, crafting, and gadget building. You will see fewer pre-made weapons closer to the start of the outbreak.
- Combat has been a “big focus” for the game, improved locomotion, responsive, accessible but with depth.
- Settlements will have similar “variety and character” to State of Decay 2, with some bases having specific features built in like more electricity, etc.
- You won’t be able to completely ignore the plague threat in State of Decay 3 and turn into a turtle in your base, as its power will increase if left unchecked.
- State of Decay 3 wants to “meet player expectations” for online cooperative mode. It will be less restrictive than State of Decay 2. One player will be able to start a game, then others will be able to log into the game and manage communities even when the map creator is offline.
- State of Decay 3 is server-based rather than peer-hosted. There are no limits on player movement, let alone player connection in State of Decay 3, although Undead Labs was reluctant to confirm the limits. They want to run more tests on their server infrastructure before confirming.
- State of Decay 3 will retain single-player mode, as most players chose to play alone in previous games. State of Decay 3 will increase in difficulty as more players join the game.
- State of Decay 3 wants to reduce its “adorable” jank, aiming for a more polished launch experience.
- Undead Labs wants to provide long-term post-launch support for State of Decay 3, as seen with State of Decay 2.
- The core of the State of Decay experience will remain. Undead Labs noted that player engagement actually increased when players lost characters.
- And more!
Don’t sleep on State of Decay 3
While upcoming Xbox games like FableHalo, Forza and Gears of War dominate the headlines, I’m most excited about State of Decay 3.
State of Decay 1 and 2 were incredibly special games, and as someone who favors a bit of survival in my gaming experiences, the promise of State of Decay always felt like it couldn’t live up to its true potential. Whether it was a strange cooperative connection in peer-to-peer hosted open worlds or the game’s notorious sandbox bugs, the move to Microsoft (and Microsoft budgets) gave the franchise a new promise to think big.
I’ve heard that development on State of Decay 3 has been incredibly difficult, particularly after the studio acquisition and going through the pandemic era. But it looks like the studio has emerged ready to show the world what it can do, with a bolder vision for a PvE systems-driven zombie survival game that’s potentially unique in scope and quality here.
There’s no known release date for State of Decay 3 yet, but if I had to guess, 2027 looks pretty appealing.
Sign up for State of Decay 3 Closed Alpha Test for a chance to play early, and I suspect we’ll see the game in this year’s edition. Xbox showcase in June.
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