Xbox Exclusive State of Decay 3 Just a Word Document When It Was Revealed

Back in 2020, fans were thrilled when a cinematic trailer dropped for the next major zombie survival game on the Xbox console. The teaser showed a survivor screaming at a terrifying undead deer in a snowy wilderness. It looked like an amazing leap forward for the popular franchise.

However, recent reports reveal a shocking truth about that flashy debut. The video game literally did not exist yet.

State of Decay 3 was just a cinematic trailer built on empty promises at announcement

Undead Labs created a massive wave of hype with its cinematic reveal. At the time, players assumed the studio was deep into production. A recent investigation shows the team had nothing more than a basic concept pitch. Undead Labs studio head Philip Holt recently confirmed to Kotaku that the entire project was basically a single text document when the public first saw the zombie deer footage.

The Xbox parent company, Microsoft, wanted something exciting to show during its big summer showcase. It decided to push out a pre-rendered video to build early momentum for its new console generation.

The actual development team had not started writing code or designing any real gameplay mechanics. It was simply a marketing tool to generate excitement.

The developer is finally showing the real thing

Creating a game to match a pre-made trailer is a stressful task. The studio had to figure out how to deliver the snowy environments and mutated animals promised by the marketing department. It took years for the actual software to even slightly resemble what was shown on stage. Revealing games far too early is a common issue in the industry. It often leads to impossible expectations and overworked staff.

Thankfully, recent updates suggest the zombie survival title is finally coming together nicely. The developer recently showed off real gameplay footage, proving it managed to turn that initial text document into a fully functional experience. Players just had to wait a lot longer than they originally expected.

After six long years of waiting on an empty teaser, fans will finally get to help the developer test its actual four-player survival mechanics next month.