State of Decay 2, one of Microsoft's most anticipated games of 2018, is set to release next week and it turns out there's plenty of Easter eggs for diehard Microsoft fans. Ray Cox IV, who holds the world record for most achievement points and is better known by his gamertag Stallion93, posted two screenshots from the upcoming survival game showing off some of the coolest references. The first tease is found in one of the game's houses, where players can find an original Xbox and a Duke controller laying around.

The upcoming survival zombie game is an Xbox One Play Anywhere title, which means that State of Decay 2 will feature cross-platform play on Xbox One and PC. Not only will players on different systems be able to play together, but those who game on consoles and PC will only need to buy one copy of the title to play on both. Cross-save functionality ensures that players get a seamless experience, even when jumping between the two ecosystems, the same as it was for Sea of Thieves earlier this year.

The second reference comes in the form of one of the passive actions the player can take part in. By running a "console game tourney," players can add 15 morale for an hour. The real kicker comes in the form of the action's description, which says "Anyone up for some 1v1 on Blood Gulch? No pistols."

That description is a clear reference to the original Xbox's most popular game, Halo. Blood Gulch is one of the most iconic maps in the first-person shooter series and has been remade several times throughout the years. Beyond appearing in the original, it was also remade in Halo 2 as Coagulation, was featured in the real-time strategy spin-off Halo Wars, and was playable in Halo: Reach.


One thing is clear from these two Easter eggs, and it's that developer Undead Labs is a huge fan of Microsoft's gaming history. Both of these are great references to the past, while State of Decay 2 serves as an important reminder that Xbox's gaming present and future is still very much relevant.

State of Decay 2 releases on Xbox One and PC on May 22, 2018, although those that pick up the Ultimate Edition will gain access to the game four days early.