State of Decay 2 is one of Microsoft’s more under-stated exclusives for 2017 but given the success of the original, it could end up being a dark horse. Then again, we do know that it will have a large world than the original.
This is per Undead Labs CEO Jeff Strain telling IGN that, “I know SoD fans are hungry for details on number and size of maps, regions, kilometers of playable area, etc, but we’re not quite ready for that. For now, suffice it to say that the playable area is substantially larger than State of Decay.”
Strain also talked about the game’s four player co-op (which means it’s not an MMO anymore) and how players could split up. It may not always be the best idea though. “There may be times when it’s tactically advantageous to do so. For example, you may be under the gun to get medical supplies back to your base, and you decide to split up and have two players scavenge the supermarket pharmacy while two others go scout for a car or SUV with a large amount of trunk space to get the goods home.
“Or you could even be working on completely separate objectives and only come together as needed to get each other out of a tight spot. Ultimately, you’ll be more effective (and, if we do our jobs well, you’ll have a lot more fun) playing close together, but as always with State of Decay, your play style is up to you.”
Design director Richard Foge further noted how PvP won’t be possible in State of Decay 2 but still noted that there are “plenty of ways that they can be a hostile force in your world because they can directly affect the simulation in meaningful ways.” Attracting zombies to kill a player is one such example.
State of Decay 2 is currently in development for Xbox One and PC.