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After mapping the post-apocalyptic landscape of State of Decay 2, players found a mysterious message left by the developers that teased them with clues about the future of the series. It turns out that Undead Labs, the studio behind the games, is committed to a spectacular end-of-the-world experience. The second game in the series was a massive success. By 2019, just over a year after its release, State of Decay 2 had sold more than 3 million copies on both PC and Xbox. It was also the 13th most played game on Steam within its first year, attracting over 4 million players. Despite the game’s popularity, Undead Labs hadn’t finished telling the story of its post-apocalyptic world. In fact, the development team had planned a series of free updates to keep the game fresh.

The video game industry is about to undergo a seismic shift.

From a zombie-survival series whose third instalation – State of Decay 3 – will debut over the coming year. The studio behind it is called Undead Labs – a name that the studio has said feels a tad outdated now, as it embarks on a new era with the development of its flagship series.

A GLIMPSE INTO TOMORROW: THE STATE OF DECAY 3 TRAILER REVEAL

In an industry of trade secrets, the accidental exposure of the trailer for State of Decay 3 has resulted in a domino effect. Fans of the series are excited for what looks to be an edge-of-your-seat continuation, and all those curious about the series are now able to experience it for the first time, perhaps during the eventual 2024 Xbox Showcase where State of Decay 3 is scheduled to fully debut. While the trailer is of utmost interest, the unveiling points to a studio-wide rebrand and a turning point for Undead Labs.

THE EVOLUTION OF UNDEAD LABS: A NEW ERA BEGINS

After years of self-consciously cool indie vibes, Undead Labs is growing up – a process reflected in the escalating stories of its games. The studio’s branding partnership with 51 Eggs seems deliberate about embracing a future that suits its corporate parent Xbox, and fans. ‘We reflect how we’ve grown in the space,’ says Vicki Ebberts. ‘We’ve grown our reach and vision.

FROM INDEPENDENT ROOTS TO MAJOR PLAYER

When Undead Labs expanded from a tiny studio in Seattle to industry titan with satellites in Illinois and Florida, it wasn’t just because the company needed more real estate. It was also because the company’s financier Phillip Holt was pushing the organisational boundaries of what a studio can be. For Holt, breaking away from the tropes of the undead means ‘telling other stories’.

THE WAIT FOR STATE OF DECAY 3: PATIENCE MEETS PASSION

It’s now been four years since the world had our first glimpse of State of Decay 3, and we’re still clamouring for more. (Technically, we’re still clawing for any news at all.) We don’t even know when Undead Labs plans to release this third entry in their zombie survival game series; when they do offer up news, it’s in such dribs and drabs and drips that fans can only sift through the words and images and glean what they can about this frozen oblivion. Still, it’s fair to say that expectations are higher than the landmass we might brave from this battered beachhead.

UNDEAD LABS: EMBRACING CHANGE WHILE HONORING LEGACY

And yet, in the face of these epochal changes, at the heart of Undead Labs, it’s business as usual. This studio we have grown to love with State of Decay is still a group of storytellers who work through a narrative and then tell it with play. It remains a group that understands its community – that is prepared to experiment and evolve, to grow but not lose sight of what made State of Decay so fun to begin with.

EXPLORING THE STUDIO BEHIND THE SCENES

And at its centre is Undead Labs, as the studio has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the game world, from its indie origins to its acquisition by Xbox, and everything in between. The road pulled together by this team is one of human creativity and corporate partnership, and now on the cusp of a new chapter, it’s worth recognising the vision and ambition that once drove the team.

UNDEAD LABS: MORE THAN JUST ZOMBIES

If zombies are the studio’s public face, it’s just one of an assortment of identities that serves a diverse community of gamers. The core loop centers on questing and crafting, but there are also elements of farming and trading – think of the base-building and resource-collecting mechanics of games such as Civilization but with a strong focus on emergent storytelling. Just as for the player, the apex of the studio’s identity will constantly change.

We’ll see what happens.

But as Undead Labs finally enters the industry spotlight in preparation for the release of State of Decay 3 and a new, daring new branding, everyone is paying attention. This is a studio that has not only survived the tumult of change, but in some ways thrived, with its evolution woven into its work. And so, we wait, eagerly, for every scrap of information, not because it will tell us anything about the game State of Decay 3 but because it will tell us more of the story of Undead Labs.