The upcoming World War Z video game can feature up 1,000 zombies chasing down players at once. World War Z began life as a novel by author Max Brooks, which told the various survivor accounts of a global zombie breakout. The book was an addictive mix of great set pieces and likeable characters, but the format made it seem like a better fit for a television series than a movie.

Brad Pitt and his production company disagreed, and developed a script that essentially jettisoned the book outside of the title and a handful of other details. Production on the movie was famously messy, with Pitt reportedly clashing with director Marc Forster and the original third act – which featured an expensive battle sequence in Russia – being scrapped and reshot. Despite the production woes the film went on to become a blockbuster, and Pitt is currently developing World War Z 2 alongside director David Fincher.

A World War Z video game was also announced at the of 2017 and is being developed by Saber Interactive. The game will take a leaf out of Left 4 Dead‘s notebook by being a four-player co-op shooter, and the title will draw inspiration from both the book and movie. Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch spoke with Official PlayStation Magazine (via Comic Book) about the game, and revealed that players will have to survive against overwhelming numbers:

The sheer quantity of swarming enemies on the screen and the way they interact by climbing over one another to reach areas that would be safe in other games is unique to World War Z. I would say it truly defines the game. Fighting the swarms that can be either one massive enemy or 1,000 individual ones is exhilarating and addicting.


While the zombie genre feels a little played out after years of overexposure by movies, TV shows, and video games, the World War Z game at least sounds like it will be an adrenaline rush where players will constantly struggle to stay alive. Players will also have to use the environment to their advantage, and just about any item can be turned into a weapon.

The World War Z game is probably being developed as a way to keep the brand fresh in audience’s minds while the sequel is being developed. World War Z 2 is taking a long time to come together because Fincher has stated he’s not making the movie until he finds a script worth producing. Production on the sequel was recently pushed back again too, after Brad Pitt signed up for Quentin Tarantino’s next film, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

World War Z is expected to be available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC sometime in 2018.