Undead Labs' State of Decay 2 has only been out a month, but a third installment in the franchise, State of Decay 3, has already been confirmed. A development team is in place to work primarily on the sequel. A bigger and better gaming experience has been promised for State of Decay 3.

Reviews for State of Decay 2 were decidedly split. Some found the game to be a fun experience that improved on the first. Others felt the gameplay was too repetitive. Early reviews only really agreed on one thing: The initial release of the game was glitchy and full of bugs. Well, that fact didn't seem to have an effect on gamers' interest, as State of Decay 2 earned two million players in its first month. Naturally, Microsoft wants to capitalize on the success with a sequel.

Head of Microsoft Studios, Matt Booty, revealed plans for State of Decay 3 in an interview with Eggplante. According to Booty, the Undead Labs studio will have the distinct goal of making the third State of Decay game a reality. He confirmed that the team will have other projects to work on, but that State of Decay 3 is to be the main focus of Undead Labs going forward, describing the studio explicitly as a "State of Decay 3 team."


Citing the success of both the first and second installments in the franchise, Booty hinted at growth and innovation in the third title's gameplay. He hinted at grand plans for a large online community that had been in the works since the first installment. Booty indicated his faith in the current team, and in their partnership with Microsoft, particularly, to finally achieve those goals.

State of Decay 2 provided a bit of innovation to the franchise in its own right. The sequel put a stronger emphasis on character relationships and development, not just through fighting skills but through their varied personalities. Relationships with other players also took a stronghold, with the introduction of multiplayer. Gamers may now choose to jump into other players' games and assist in difficult missions.

What remains to be seen is whether or not State of Decay 3 - or State of Decay 2, for that matter - will remain Microsoft exclusives. The company has been in sore need of exclusive titles, but there have been hints that State of Decay 2 may be debuting on Steam in the near future. Should that be the case, it would only make sense for the third game to also become a multiplatform title.