During the Xbox Games Showcase held just this week, Undead Labs’ new State of Decay 3 was officially announced.
The upcoming State of Decay 3 is the sequel to 2018’s State of Decay 2, and it has been confirmed that the zombie survival game is now in early development for Microsoft’s Xbox Series X.
Along with the game’s unveiling at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, an official announcement trailer was also released:
Third from the franchise
No release date has been announced for State of Decay 3 yet, but when it comes out, it should continue to expand upon the open-world zombie survival game world that was first introduced more than seven years ago.
The original State of Decay game was first released in 2013 for the Xbox 360 and for PC. It would go on to sell over 250,000 copies in its first couple of days after launch, before breaching the one-millionth mark six months later.
Half a decade later, Undead Labs would follow up with a second installment through 2018’s State of Decay 2.
Released for PC and Xbox One, this sequel would prove to be a hit in its own right, paving the way for the State of Decay 3.
Today we are thrilled to announce that State of Decay 3 is in active development! If you missed our big reveal during the Xbox event this morning, you can rewatch it at https://t.co/pE469u8kid. #stateofdecay3 #ZombieDeer
— State Of Decay (@StateOfDecay) July 23, 2020
Clues from the trailer
Just to be clear, no gameplay footage was included in the official announcement trailer for State of Decay 3.
Undead Labs chose instead to make the upcoming game’s announcement through a short cinematic trailer.
In the teaser, a lady is shown alone in a snowy forest, trying to scare off a lone wolf at the beginning of the trailer.
Just because you’re holding the scope doesn’t always mean you’re the hunter.
See what’s waiting outside in the #StateofDecay3 trailer: https://t.co/gp1dnTilHG#XboxGamesShowcase pic.twitter.com/GLFwWi0wy0
— Xbox (@Xbox) July 23, 2020
Later on, more footage is shown of her wandering through the frozen wilderness, with a crossbow armed and ready.
She would soon come upon a trail of blood on the ground, which would eventually lead her to the dead body of the same wolf that stalked her earlier. Hovering over the carcass, however, is an undead deer feasting on the wolf’s entrails.
As suggested by the trailer, it seems that the franchise is retaining its core game mechanic of developing survival skills (scavenging, hunting) on top of fighting zombies.
The zombie deer also presents a new angle in the survival game—soon, players will have something additional to worry about apart from the walking (and sprinting) undead. Instead of just watching out for zombie people, they may have to ward off infected wild animals as well.
Featured image courtesy of State of Decay 3 (Xbox)