Dead Island 2 Rises on Xbox Game Pass Without Warning

In a surprise move, Dambuster Studios’ zombie action-RPG Dead Island 2 has shuffled onto Xbox Game Pass without any official announcement. Players noticed on the morning of February 22nd that the critically praised but not spectacularly popular title was suddenly available on Microsoft’s subscription service. However, it was not added to the PC version of Game Pass, only the Xbox console option.

The stealth addition came just days after a free play weekend for Dead Island 2 on Xbox thanks to the platform’s Free Play Days promotion. Some speculated the unannounced appearance on Game Pass could even be a mistake.

But publisher Plaion soon confirmed the move with a blog post, stating the game was “for Ultimate members” at first before later clarifying to media outlets that standard Xbox Game Pass subscribers could also access Dead Island 2.

The blog post further enticed multiplayer fans by promising “unlimited access to the base game on Xbox, including co-op functionality” through Game Pass Ultimate. Plaion encouraged Xbox players to “gather your squad and take on the horde together.”

Dead Island 2 first shambled onto the scene in April 2022, selling over 1 million copies in its first 3 days according to Plaion. While not matching the breakout success of franchises like Resident Evil, the sales exceeded internal targets enough to be considered a win for Plaion’s parent company Embracer Group. However, exact sales data has not been shared since the initial announcement.

Reviews praised Dead Island 2’s humor and gore but felt it lacked creativity in terms of setting and gameplay. But now Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get to form their own opinions on whether Dead Island 2 sinks or swims within the flooded zombie genre. The sudden arrival may reanimate interest in this decaying franchise.