The zombie-themed action series Dead Island is preparing to return with its third installment without much delay. The public release of official financial documents prepared by Dambuster Studios as of the end of March 2025 confirms that work on the new game in the series has officially begun.

Dead Island 3 is on its way

The leaked documents clearly show that the current projected release date for Dead Island 3 is the first or second quarter of 2028. This reveals that the new project is progressing at a much more planned and faster pace compared to the nearly decade-long, arduous development process of the previous game in the series. According to the studio’s current data, the team currently employs 194 people, and the operational focus is entirely shifted to this new project.

Looking at the details of the development process, it is seen that many of the game’s core elements have already entered the early production phase. The statements in the financial reports emphasize that the project is progressing “at a rapid pace,” indicating that concrete steps have been taken in critical areas such as feature design, world-building, narrative structure, and character designs.

Dambuster Studios, having completed work on the Luna and Mac versions of Dead Island 2, plans to involve its entire quality control (QA) team in the development of the third game. This strategic move symbolizes the studio’s commitment to consolidating all its resources in one place and remaining true to its 2028 goal.

The continuation of the series is not a surprise to the gaming world, given its commercial success. The fact that the second game, released in 2023, has sold over 4 million copies to date and reached a player base exceeding 20 million seems to have convinced publisher Deep Silver to make a new investment.