Here’s Why State Of Decay 3 Has Taken 6 Years To Develop So Far

State of Decay 3 made an impact at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase with a slick trailer that teased features that wouldn't make the final cut, like undead deer and frigid landscapes. Six years later, things have changed at developer Undead Labs as it navigates life after Xbox and a shift in gameplay design that led the studio to ditch ideas to make State of Decay 3 an MMO.

Undead Labs founder Jeff Strain planned to make the threequel far bigger than its predecessors, and after his departure in 2019, several design team members kept building the tools to support that vision. Speaking to GamesIndustry.Biz, Undead Labs CEO Philip Holt said the studio scrapped this plan by the end of 2022, choosing instead to rebuild State of Decay 3 to more closely resemble the first two games, which offered both single-player and co-op modes.

"When the founder was here, I think he always had a vision of making an MMO …