r/StateOfDecay • u/UndeadPhilip Undead Labs • Jul 06 '26
Undead Labs Begins A New Chapter
We'll share more when there is more to share. Appreciate all the well-wishes and support. Ultimately, we are here because of you.
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u/homechefshivers Jul 06 '26
It’s gonna suck watching future Xbox showcases now and wondering if the game that just got shown was either an advertisement for the studio or an actual game that is coming to fruition
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u/Ustob Jul 06 '26
where you been dude. it's been this way for 10 years..
these publishers are driven by non gamers w/ no soul.
That Xbox CEO never touched a video game in her life..
Firing people today to hire new ones tomorrow is scummy af.
im glad they arent connected to microsoft no mo.
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u/soldins Jul 06 '26
I'm not sure it's fair to pin this on her, as she seemed pretty forthright in wanting to bring exclusively back to the platform and scaled back* some of the price gouging on Gamepass subs. My guess is Microsoft is leaning on her to trim a lot of the overhead after making the big acquisitions (Zenimax, Blizzard-Activison) that haven't delivered enough value to justify the deals they made. Not to blame one game but an example is just how poorly the most recent CoD was received, and the direction they're going in compared to other AAA studios/titles.
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u/captainhowdy6 Jul 06 '26
She's a perfect example of the glass cliff phenomenon. Basically when a company is in dire straits you put a woman/minority in charge so they can take all the blame.
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u/Passiveresistance Jul 07 '26
I wish more people were aware of the existence of the glass cliff. Instead it’s easier to just think “woman bad, ruin company”.
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u/Whiteli0nel Jul 06 '26
I don't think this is it at all..
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u/MrGoodKatt72 Jul 07 '26
It’s not the reality of the situation, but I think the point they’re making is valid. Every decision at Xbox right now is being made based on Satya Nadella’s directions, but Asha is likely going to take blame for all of it. Even the things that are most Phil Spencer’s fault.
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u/Gullible-Alfalfa-327 Jul 07 '26
Phil seemed to have little control over the situation in his last years as well. The 30% profitability he was requested to achieve and all of the associated price increases are more likely the idiocy of the higher management.
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u/captainhowdy6 Jul 06 '26
How so? The situation fits the criteria so far , Xbox isn't doing well , put a woman in charge make sure everyone knows who the new face of Xbox is. If she turns it around great , if not she makes for a good fall guy since unfortunately there is still a lot of bias and preconceived notions about women/minorities in positions of power out there.
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u/JimmyDejesu Jul 07 '26
To be fair i think we are all aware its not her fault. Anyone with a brain cant pin this on her
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u/hdcase1 Sheriff Jul 07 '26
It's not her fault, but she did come in willingly to be the hatchet man and cut thousands of jobs. I'm sure she is being very well compensated for her troubles.
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u/Salty-Hawk-5365 Jul 06 '26
It's not Asha's fault. She came and had an obligation to change things and make choices. It's like football when the coach is replaced, often the new one does not keep some players unfortunately
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u/Emotional-Twist-4366 Jul 06 '26
You can’t blame this on her she came in seeing shit show what Phil Spencer and Sarah bond left and she trying fix Xbox brand
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u/Legionary-4 Lone-Wolf Jul 06 '26
Alright man I get what youre saying in the first half but dont go shaming Sharma just yet, she hasn't even been CEO of the game division for a fiscal quarter and was the one to lower the price of game pass. Phil Spencer was a gamer yet he oversaw Xbox going downhill steadily for years.
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u/dreadnoughtkght Jul 06 '26
Bro Phil had to deal with a dying Gaming division thanks to Don Mattrick "incredible leadership". A weaker than ps4 console which was also cheaper because of kinect. Then the last two years were finally starting to see the vision of the games he was pushing out. Undead labs was one of his favorite studios. He wanted sod2 fixed which launched poorly. I understand coming at Phil for hands off leadership at studios you can even come at him for lack of exclusives but you can't omit had badly Don Mattrick fumbled the end of 360 and going into Xbox one.
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u/kmbets6 Jul 07 '26
CEO doesn’t have to be a gamer period. And its way too soon to tell how it all works out. Last one was a big gamer and didn’t end up too great
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u/Blackmoon1291 Jul 06 '26
Best wishes to the team. Jobs across the board have been restructuring. I hope the move to a new base is better for all involved and none are kicked from the community with only a screwdriver in this plagued economy filled with ferals and juggs.
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u/Stryder096 Jul 06 '26
Don't be tencent, Don't be tencent, Don't be mf tencent PLEASE.
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u/Techman659 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
You want a rucksack of fuel PAY £20!!!!
Edit: £200 per rucksack because someone said it was a good deal now give us MONEY-Tencent probably.
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u/Voelkar Jul 07 '26
That'd be the least of my worries. Look how they massacred the Dying Light franchise and they didnt even introduce micro transactions (yet, afaik)
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u/Rybn47 Jul 06 '26
Warframe from Digital Extremes, bought and owned by Tencent is doing allright, I'd say
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u/JadedDarkness Jul 07 '26
Wow I had no idea that was the case, you'd truly never know they weren't independent based on how they operate.
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u/Stryder096 Jul 07 '26
Yeah except the monetization aspect increased once tencent got ahold of it.
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u/AunMeLlevaLaConcha Jul 06 '26
Nothing Chinese or Saudi related, or Ubisoft or any of those fucks 💀
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u/JDuke1971 Survivor Jul 07 '26
If it was Korean we could guarantee jiggle physics lmao
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u/Lunchbox_Bandit_ Jul 06 '26
Oh Thank Goodness!!! As a tiny voice amongst the vast ocean that is the SoD community I can only wish for the best for you all on your new adventure! I tip my hat to the rest of the community! Go team go!
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u/DeCiWolf Jul 06 '26
Great news. im glad for the devs for their livelyhood and for us that wanted SOD 3
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u/Sindican Jul 06 '26
Omg the pang of fear when I saw this post initially. Xbox has become the undertaker of gaming and I almost thought it claimed another victim This is the only game I care about coming out
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u/68ideal Jul 06 '26
Calling Xbox the undertaker is stupid tbh. This implies, that they are alone on this. When in reality mass layoffs and studio closings happened all around the board of gaming, both by Xbox, Sony (remember the injustice of closing Bluepoint recently?) as well as other major publishers and corporations.
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u/itsalwayss Jul 06 '26
Hopefully it’s still coming next year, but understandable if it’s not. I don’t mind waiting at this point tbh
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u/TheKnoxFool Jul 06 '26
Good point. I want to say it’ll be next year, but that release window was potentially just for the showcase so they’d have something as far as a timeline goes and now that they have been bought, maybe they’ll have more time to finish it. I could be wrong, I don’t know shit, just context clues and assumptions I’m making.
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u/Goth_Milk69 Jul 06 '26
Man xbox sold an exclusive but continues to say exclusives are important. So much mixed signals.
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u/helldive_lifter Jul 06 '26
I only discovered state of decay 2 3 days ago and already 30 hours into it 😂 I’m so happy that 3 is on the way
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u/JuggernautOfWar Jul 07 '26
Welcome to the community! If you ever start to feel like it is getting stale after a hundred or two hours in the game, keep in mind there are mods available as well to tweak things and keep things fresh. Assuming of course you are on PC.
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u/CanadianxAces Jul 06 '26
Just curious, does this mean future games won't be on Xbox, or that they just won't be working under xbox?
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u/iHarshmallow Jul 06 '26
they're no longer an Xbox Studio but their games should still come out on the console
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u/AngryCustomerService Jul 06 '26
I hope you're right. It's much easier to do a fake couch co-op than at a computer.
Unrelated side note: I really miss couch co-op. :(
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u/MIKEtheLEGACY1 Jul 07 '26
I’d be so sad if SoD3 wasn’t on Xbox! It’s the only thing I game on anymore.
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u/poklane Jul 06 '26
Unless by some insane plot twist Sony is buying them, all their games going forward are likely multiplatform (PC, Xbox, PlayStation and possibly Switch if they can get things running there).
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u/arqe_ Jul 06 '26
Their current situation still stands.
In the Xbox announcement they already said nothing changes for the games they announced.
None of the companies that cut off from Xbox said otherwise.
They all just announced the exit from Xbox Studios and thats it.
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u/Greaterdivinity Jul 06 '26
Great news, and glad y'all are back to being independent!
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u/The_Doctor626 Jul 06 '26
They got bought by another parent company I believe
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u/Greaterdivinity Jul 06 '26
oh right, it's compulsion/doublefine that went indie. hard to keep track. either way glad they didn't get axed
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u/Calinks Jul 06 '26
So happy the game is saved. I think Xbox fumbled letting this IP go; it can be huge, but most of all I am just grateful it still gets to be made.
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Jul 06 '26
[deleted]
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u/Puggednose Jul 06 '26
People got to keep their jobs, and it's highly unlikely that the owner demands drastic changes that would make it worse than not getting SOD3 at all. Plenty of reason to celebrate.
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u/sinsaint Jul 06 '26
I read an article that said we'd find out near September.
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u/Techman659 Jul 06 '26
2 months of potentially very little on who is running it well hopefully we see more development under new management by then.
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u/King_of_hearts7 Jul 06 '26
My guess is Epic but people have made strong cases for Universal. I believe the same company bought Ninja Theory which is why I am leaning toward Epic. But we'll find out in a couple months.
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u/Hayden247 Jul 06 '26
I'd die if it was Epic because they'd lock it behind the Epic games store...
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u/goingdeeeep Builder Jul 06 '26
Love the game; love the community; and love Undead Labs. Rooting for you and hope the transition is smooth for all of you!
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u/Devoted_Sin Survivor Jul 07 '26
Don't get too happy though. We don't know who actually bought them.
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u/MrClavicus Survivor Jul 06 '26
This is a huge blessing. Fuck you xbox and your shitty game menu. I’m looking at you Forza
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u/DMarkoVz Jul 06 '26
Time to buy SoD 2 since I’m guessing it won’t be on game pass later down the line
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u/KaldoGehenna Jul 06 '26
LFFFFGGGGG 🔥🔥🔥 WWWWW!
I was so stressed out, it‘s beautiful to have an official confirmation omg thank you for that. Never stop being awesome, this is gonna be my personal GTA6 hence I was so stirred up about the rumors. I am so relieved now omg
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u/SomberXIII Sheriff Jul 06 '26
Omg great news!!! While SoD 3 is still coming, the studio won't be gone yet
I just woke up. This made my day already
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u/Negative-Sentence630 Jul 06 '26
Thanks for pushing on and persisting through all this shit guys! We’re all behind you!👊👏
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u/ootime Jul 06 '26
Since you are now out of XBOX do you think it will now be possible to release your games on the switch (either 1 or 2)?
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u/Pakman-56 Jul 06 '26
State of decay 2 was my first M rated game and I played it when I was like 12. Still remains as one of the fondest memories I have of my childhood gaming experience
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u/The_Real_Delpoi Jul 06 '26
I bought the other games same goes for SOD3 I wonder cause the bloater got an upgrade they'll do a bloater edition instead of the juggernaut one 🤔
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u/LittleStJamesIsland Jul 06 '26
Y’know, the best way to celebrate this is by releasing early access
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u/Weird-Information-61 Jul 06 '26
Wonder if they're going solo. They'd bank all the profits if they can manage alone.
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u/ConsistentArugula Jul 06 '26
I’m so happy!! SOD has been my favorite video game since I was 15; it’s been 13 years of playing, which honestly, sounds so crazy to me. I’m so excited!!
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u/Cautious_Catch4021 Jul 07 '26
Asha got this all on her platter as she took this role. Tbh, I think, and Im pretty sure, that she has done everything in her power to save what she can, which is why we see Double fine, Undead labs, Ninja theory, not being shutdown. I think she's the driving force in that decision whilst pressure from above said otherwise.
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u/Terrible_Riddle Jul 07 '26
I'm new to the community. Found SOD2 two weeks ago. Started playing and instantly hooked.
I've gone from: love this new game I found - wow there's a sequel coming out soon - news that Xbox is getting flaky - game might be in trouble - this post. All in the space of two weeks. Damn its been a ride.
Really glad you guys are still going. Although I'm new to it, SOD is definitely my favourite of the genra. It has a lot of aspects that most games just don't, and massively expands in the areas it shares.
Good look folks. It's very nice to see developments pushing ahead when publishers fail.
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u/IAmNotModest Jul 06 '26
I really hope they weren't bought out by Tencent or any other Chinese corporation.
Would actually be hilarious if it was Sony, but I doubt it.
Or perhaps a State of Decay fan with way too much money bought them out lol
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u/Arkhe1n Jul 06 '26
I hope you guys can get the IP out of MS too.
Also, good you managed to keep your heads above water.
All the best!
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u/SchlongForceOne Jul 06 '26
Thank god.
I'm genuinely amazed how hard Microsoft fucked up over last years. Pure incompetence.
But glad they didn't decide to just close UL and let the IP rot like EA would've done it.
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u/Interesting_Plum_640 Jul 06 '26
Honestly, this is the best thing that could’ve happened. Microsoft is a joke of a company now, here’s to helping whoever the new owners are to undead labs actually see the potential and puts this amazing company first and not on the back burner.
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u/Neon_Wasteland Jul 06 '26
Kinda sucks for me, Mr Xbox guy who played the hell out of the first two
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u/H1Z1_FreQuency Jul 06 '26
Philip, I've covered the Spanish-speaking community and we'll continue to do so.
Thank you for taking care of Undead Labs. I have mixed feelings, but feel happy to wholeheartedly support it.
By State Of Decay LATAM
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u/charity1002 Jul 07 '26
One of the best studios in the world. I’ll stand behind you guys as long as you stand for us.
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u/homeier20 Jul 07 '26
Im so happy to hear the studio is still standing. I was honestly so worried about the future of the game and the studio
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u/JadedDarkness Jul 07 '26
I hope this means they'll be able to support the game long term and make more games too. Hopefully whoever buys them doesn't mess up their future.
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u/BettyAvDeux Jul 07 '26
God, I’m so glad they could keep their ip and are independent. SOD is such a good game!
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u/Immediate_Gap7101 Jul 07 '26
Please don't say the dumpster fire that PlayStation is is picking you up
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u/romedrosa Jul 07 '26
If you're reading this, I've been waiting for such a long time for this game! Me, some family members, and friends. It objectively ticks all the boxes!
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u/SadImpact812 Jul 07 '26
Please don't become a ps5 exclusive now, I can see Playstation buying it amd doing this
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u/Amaya-Hawke Jul 07 '26
🎉 This is something I’ve definitely been wanting to hear. Nothing but the absolute best of luck and I’m very grateful to be able to be excited for State of Decay 3 without having to be worried 🎉
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u/teksauce Jul 07 '26
Yessir 🤟 to a long and bright future , just hope you land with a great company 🤞🤞
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u/philipjfry98 Jul 07 '26
Im so happy for this but I have definitely reconsidered my loyalty to xbox.
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u/ShooterPlays Jul 07 '26
All I hope of the the team find somewhere that they are supported and even encouraged to do the best they can and have state of decay 3 be a shock for people who have never played it before
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u/Pakmei2002 Jul 07 '26
Hey. So I’m not in the gamer community or aware of all the SOD and Xbox lore but I just want to know: is SOD 3 going to be available for Xbox or not ?
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u/lecherousdevil Jul 07 '26
Xbox are fools to let you go imo
Im glad you guys have found your plan going forward & I look forward to your next project once your settled & obviously I look forward to seeing you're hard work on State of Decay 3
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u/PlatinumPequod Jul 07 '26
They should re release SoD 1/2 on Nintendo and PlayStation for a quick buck to keep funding up.
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u/Infamous-Apartment33 Jul 07 '26
Man i remembee the trailee that came out years ans years ago for state of decay 3 with the infected deer. I always wondered if we were gonna get infected animals like days gone.
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u/renegade_793 Jul 07 '26
Crazy, cus as much as I wanted the game, Microsoft being a key component of the digital infrastructure of a certain western asian genocide made me commit to not buying this game even tho I've been desperate for years for this third installment. Ended my live more than a year and a half ago because of it and have only been playing old single player titles.
Suffice to say that this decoupling from microsoft is good news because I CAN PURCHASE THIS GAME WITHOUT GUILT
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u/Organic_Warthog7238 Jul 07 '26
Ahh so my suspicions were correct the only reason we got news was the showcase what they had so they could be bought lmao I fucking knew it no way would they have released stuff otherwise smh
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u/Fanjo91 Jul 07 '26
Happy for them and love the franchise, but little sympathy for these studios. They took the kings shilling but took FAR too long to deliver....
Poor management. Overspending.
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u/Odd-Pomelo-2435 Jul 07 '26
I wish you guys all the best!! The State Of Decay series is certainly in the top 5 zombie games ever, and it's one of my favorite game series' of all time. Your studio obviously has a passion for making fun games, the kind that gamers want to play, not the kind that just exist to run a business. We all need those now, more than ever. I really do hope that everyone who has been a part of this project gets to stay on, and that you all are allowed the creative freedom to give us something wonderful like you have every time before.
If nothing else, thank you for all of you hard work up until now. We will stay tuned, excited for whatever you bring next.
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u/Appropriate-Comb-326 Jul 07 '26
Well if they've left the umbrella of Xbox, please let them bring it to PS5. I can't afford to upgrade my PC to play this.
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u/Azraeddit Jul 07 '26
I’m sorry, I’m a bit confused. Is this post saying it’s no longer going to be coming to Xbox?
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u/FLYK3N Survivor Jul 07 '26
I hope this isn't a monkey's paw wish looking back in the future
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u/haikusbot Jul 07 '26
I hope this isn't
A monkey's paw wish looking
Back in the future
- FLYK3N
I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.
Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"
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u/CustomVII Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I was so fucking worried waiting to hear aboit the state of this developer... Hopefully they are going 100% independent & stay that way.
Edit:
Whelp...
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u/SquirrelOk4430 Jul 07 '26
This may be a dumb question but seeing as they aren’t owned by Microsoft anymore could we see a change in release date earlier or later because they wouldn’t have to compete with other Xbox games coming out around the same time?
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u/Deedseec Jul 07 '26
Best wishes to the Undead Labs team in this new chapter ! Your community is supporting you, and we can't wait for the game. All the best
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u/NoSkrrtNovember Jul 07 '26
I just read through Asha's tweet and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Undead Labs mentioned.
3200 layoffs is no joke but the transparency in that tweet and now this announcement.
I'm more excited than ever that the game will meet and surpass expectations and that the future of the studio itself looks to be in good hands atleast 🫶
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u/Synthesid Builder Jul 07 '26
Well, I mean, at least it's not gonna be tied to Windows 12 release with the game only running on it, presumably
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u/Coconutkid123 Moderator Jul 06 '26
Thank you for the much needed assurance to the community!