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Undead Labs tells how the studio managed to save itself and State of Decay 3 after leaving Xbox. Initially, Mi
Undead Labs tells how the studio managed to save itself and State of Decay 3 after leaving Xbox.
Initially, Microsoft was going to sell the developers of State of Decay to a third-party company called Splash Damage.
The head of Undead Labs, Philip Holt, said that after the studio gained independence, it still had to make significant cuts, mainly due to the high cost of development in Seattle and the difficulty in attracting investment.
The game is currently in the alpha stage and is still planned for 2027. It is also being developed with the help of Virtuos, Wushu and Blind Squirrel, and the funding has been obtained through an unnamed publisher without the sale of the company's shares to investors.
One of the main stakes of State of Decay 3 will be a four-player cooperative world which is where the team has invested the most resources.
Despite the departure from Xbox, the relationship with Microsoft will remain: State of Decay 3 will be released in Game Pass on the day of release.
According to Holt, it was the Game Pass that helped the series grow significantly. About 25 million people have already played the game. About half of the monthly active players of State of Decay 2 have been playing for about two years, and a quarter of the audience has been playing for over five years.
He also admitted that he tried to be irresponsibly transparent with his staff: he told them in advance about the financial situation, possible cuts and risks, so that the dismissal would not become unexpected for the team.
Holt describes independence itself as the ability to work primarily for the audience, rather than for the maximum financial return for the business owner. #game
Initially, Microsoft was going to sell the developers of State of Decay to a third-party company called Splash Damage.
The head of Undead Labs, Philip Holt, said that after the studio gained independence, it still had to make significant cuts, mainly due to the high cost of development in Seattle and the difficulty in attracting investment.
The game is currently in the alpha stage and is still planned for 2027. It is also being developed with the help of Virtuos, Wushu and Blind Squirrel, and the funding has been obtained through an unnamed publisher without the sale of the company's shares to investors.
One of the main stakes of State of Decay 3 will be a four-player cooperative world which is where the team has invested the most resources.
Despite the departure from Xbox, the relationship with Microsoft will remain: State of Decay 3 will be released in Game Pass on the day of release.
According to Holt, it was the Game Pass that helped the series grow significantly. About 25 million people have already played the game. About half of the monthly active players of State of Decay 2 have been playing for about two years, and a quarter of the audience has been playing for over five years.
He also admitted that he tried to be irresponsibly transparent with his staff: he told them in advance about the financial situation, possible cuts and risks, so that the dismissal would not become unexpected for the team.
Holt describes independence itself as the ability to work primarily for the audience, rather than for the maximum financial return for the business owner. #game
