Summary
News aroundDead Island 2is still pouring in despite the game launching almost a year ago, with the release’s second major expansion being expected to drop in the coming months. The title has had to compete with 2022’sDying Light 2ever since it launched, speaking to a wider rivalry that the two franchises have shared for over a decade.
With both IPs having such clear similarities, it is clear thatDead Island 2andDying Light 2have each needed to make a lot of ambitious moves to establish distinct identities, andDead Island 2has just announced a very surprising deal to set itself apart. To the shock of many fans,Dead Island 2recently released on the Xbox Game Pass service, giving it a level of availability that has increased interest - interest thatDying Light 2will need to do a lot to keep up with.
The rivalry between theDead IslandandDying Lightfranchisesgoes much deeper than the zombie apocalypse premise and survival gameplay that they share. 2011’sDead Islandwas developed by Techland, who would go on to create the firstDying Lighttitle in 2013. This came after a split between Techland and the originalDead Islandpublisher, Deep Silver, with the creative differences between both companies manifesting in the launch of theDying LightIP.
This inevitably led to a lot of comparisons between both franchises, but this quickly died down after the long gap in releases that both properties faced following their first entries. Of course, this friendlyfeud was reignited with the more recent launches ofDead Island 2andDying Light 2, with both titles releasing within a year of each other after a long period of quiet.
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Both games are still in the midst of their post-launch content plans, withDying Light 2recently bringing firearms to the title andDead Island 2’sSOLA Festival DLCcreating a lot of anticipation in its own community. Every new addition to either game is another step in a long battle for supremacy, and the recent announcement thatDead Island 2is available through the Xbox Game Pass service is a difficult one forDying Light 2to answer.
Dead Island 2officially came to Game Pass on February 22, despite being absent from any statements about new offerings for the service earlier in the month. It may seem odd that Microsoft chose to surprise fans with a recently released AAA title coming to Game Pass, but these shock additions to the service often garner more attention than clearly telegraphed ones.
