‘The game was in a Word document’: State of Decay 3’s 2020 announce trailer was just a concept, studio head says
An alpha playtest for the game is coming next month
The original announce trailer for State of Decay 3 was just a concept trailer, because work on the game itself hadn’t even started.
That’s according to Undead Labs studio head Philip Holt, who revealed on the Sunny Games podcast that the reveal trailer shown during an Xbox Showcase in July 2020 was purely designed to announce that the game was coming, because at that time there was no game to speak of.
When asked if the zombie deer that featured in that trailer would be appearing in State of Decay 3, Holt said they wouldn’t be in the game because the trailer was just experimenting with ideas for a game that hadn’t actually started development yet.
“No zombie deer,” Holt replied. “That trailer in 2020, there really wasn’t a game, or a game team, when we were working on that trailer. It was so early, you know, and I think there wasn’t even a team. I mean, there was like four or five people. The game was in a Word document, there was really like the very beginnings of software.
“The trailer was done by Blur, it was all pre-rendered. It represented, I think, a concept – our thoughts at the time of what might be cool to explore in State of Decay 3. And as we’ve had a chance to build the team and get going on the game, some of those elements are going to persist in the game that we deliver. And some of those things, we’re just like, ‘yeah, we’re not we’re not doing zombie animals’.
Last week Undead Labs announced that a series of alpha playtests for State of Decay 3 would be starting in May, promising “four-player co-op, some new base building and resource strategics, and a whole lot of combat”
Over the last few years, most of the team has been doing updates for State of Decay 2,” series co-creator Brant Fitzgerald explained in an announcement video. “The rest of us have been creating cool shit for State of Decay 3.
“We’ve been keeping a close eye on what you liked about State of Decay 2 and what you didn’t. We’ve read your feedback on Discord. We’ve watched your gameplay clips and live streams on YouTube. And through it all we’ve seen how powerful and tight-knit this community is. It became clear that community is survival and that we need your help.”
Microsoft has confirmed that this summer’s Xbox Games Showcase will take place on June 7, with a Gears of War E-Day Direct taking place immediately after it.
Although State of Decade 3 has not yet been confirmed for the showcase, the fact that alpha playtests start a month before it makes more likely that it will appear in some form.
