Undead Labs: "We are pushing the visual quality" of State of Decay 3

It was obvious from the first few seconds of the State of Decay 3 trailer we saw at the Xbox Games Showcase that there was a completely different level to the game's production values compared to its predecessors.

In a new article at Xbox Wire, we now get a deep dive into the game systems and setup, where it is confirmed that the entire trailer was in-engine, and thus not pre-rendered. We can look forward to a much darker and evolved world, which can now be better shared with your friends.

The system of permadeath is of course intact and there is nothing Undead Labs intends to change, living in an apocalypse is simply very dangerous. However, they have tried to make death more emotional so it actually means something. Creative director Kevin Patzelt explains:

"I think it's important for not just the player to have that remembrance, but the characters in the world as well. So, our narrative systems are really going to be there to help support those biggest ones. Because there's nothing bigger than losing a community member, especially if there's someone that you invested a lot of time and energy into. I think we need to do a better job of showing that sacrifice is meaningful and how it might impact the community."

Undead Labs has been part of Microsoft for six years, and this has only been an advantage, according to Patzelt:

"I don't think we could achieve State of Decay 3's vision if we weren't part of Microsoft. I think if had we stayed independent, there's just no way we could have had the time and the space and the support that we needed to be where we are today and to put out what we know we can make."

Benefits include working on the shared world with the Grounded team at Obsidian, who are experts in this field, while the Gears of War studio The Coalition has helped the team get the most out of Unreal Engine 5.

Set several years into the zombie apocalypse, State of Decay 3 has many gameplay enhancements. That includes better combat where you can really hack and shoot zombies in a more convincing way, but also smoother animations and more varied enemies. In addition, we now have survivors who have actually learned how to cope in a world ruled by zombies, and therefore have far better opportunities to create and upgrade their own equipment.

Patzelt also explains how the focus has been on making it really fun to survive with good friends:

"We're heavily emphasizing engaging co-op combat, taking a close look at our level design and approach to how we're building the world to ensure that players can have a blast smashing and shooting zombies together out in the open world. To support that effort, combat needs to be downright fun."

Unfortunately, we don't have a release date for State of Decay 3, but a reasonable guess is that it will arrive late in 2025 or possibly 2026. Expect it to be released for PC and Xbox and included with Game Pass.