Xbox and Microsoft have been in a rough patch lately. With dwindling console exclusive titles and the cancellation of promising titles like Scalebound (which you can read about here), the Redmond giants have been seeing difficult times. However not all hope has been lost.

Enter: State of Decay 2

Following the original State of Decay and it’s more than 4.5 million sold copies, Microsoft Studios have been working on recreating the third person survival title the best they can. Here is everything we know (and more) about State of Decay 2.

Introduction

State of Decay 2 is an upcoming Xbox and Windows exclusive title that serves as a sequel to 2013’s State of Decay. The game is scheduled to hit the shelves in spring 2018 and will be set in an open world environment.

State of Decay 2 is currently under development by Undead Labs and upon its release, will be published by Microsoft Studios. The game is being developed on the Unreal Engine 4. The game will be redeemable under the Xbox Play Anywhere scheme which essentially lets players play the game (only if they digitally pre order) on any of the three platforms supported by Microsoft, namely, Xbox One, Xbox One X and Windows.

Gameplay

State of Decay 2 will add to the game one of the most anticipated and most requested features by the players: Co Operative play. A player may join another person’s game, or fire a flare into the sky, signalling others that you require a team mate. Apart from the player, there can be 3 additional players in a game.

The game features permadeath, which also extends to a co-op game, meaning if the player dies in a multiplayer game being hosted by another player, they die in their game as well.

Bases and Community

Players operate in a community within a “base” and must elect a leader for their community. The base will operate as a safe house for a number of players who in turn will help with the organization and maintenance of the base.

State of Decay 2 adds another level of depth to the game by introducing “blood plague”, a disease that a player may get infected by if they come in contact with a special zombie carrying the disease. The infected player may be spared, killed or exiled by other players of the community.

Release and Availability

State of Decay 2 is slated for release in spring of 2018 and will be released for the Xbox One, Xbox One X and Windows.