Dead Island 3 is already Dambuster’s top priority — and it might hit in 2028

Why this matters: Dead Island 3 could be real – and sooner than you think

This caught my attention because the Dead Island franchise has a history of long, messy waits. Dead Island 2 took nearly a decade to materialize after its first reveal. A Dambuster filing that calls Dead Island 3 the studio’s “primary focus,” with an internal release window of Q1/Q2 2028, suggests the company is trying to avoid a repeat – but the document also raises as many questions as it answers.

• All developers are reportedly assigned to Dead Island 3; QA will join after remaining ports of Dead Island 2 are finished.
• Parts of DI3 are in “early production” with key design disciplines moving “at pace.”
• The studio’s internal window is Q1/Q2 2028 – likely fiscal-year ambiguity means that could shift.

Breaking down the filing — what Dambuster actually said

In its recent financial statements (the ones that investors read), Dambuster doesn’t just drop the name Dead Island 3 — it lays out priorities. According to the filing, every developer at the studio is assigned to the project, and once the remaining ports for Dead Island 2 (Mac and Amazon Luna) are out the door, the QA team will move across too. The filing also states “parts of the game are now in early production, with feature, character, world and story design moving at pace.”

Those sentences are short on fancy marketing rhetoric and long on operational detail — which is exactly the sort of thing you want to see if you’re trying to read the room on when a game’s actually being built.

Why “Q1/Q2 2028” is useful — and why you shouldn’t take it to the bank

That internal window is the juicy bit, but it comes with a fiscal-year masquerade risk. Financial documents sometimes reference internal quarters tied to fiscal years rather than calendar years. Dambuster’s phrasing doesn’t say “FY2028,” so it could mean calendar Q1/Q2 2028, or it could be pointing at a period that spans April 2028 to early 2029. Translation: there’s a real chance the public release could slip one way or the other.

Even if the timeline is literal, game development loves scope creep. Saying “all developers are assigned” is promising — it implies the project isn’t a side hustle — but concentrated staffing can also foreshadow intense crunch, slipping milestones, or post-launch live-service plans that stretch development.

What this means for players

If you like Dead Island’s specific brand of goofy, gory single-player/co-op carnage — electrified katanas, over-the-top weapons, and ludicrous zombie setpieces — this is welcome news. Dambuster completed Dead Island 2’s development and shipped it in 2023, and a focused studio is the best way to get a tighter sequel faster. For fans who’ve been burned by long waits, the signal that DI3 is the “primary focus” is reassuring.

That said, gamers should be skeptical about what “focused” will mean. Will DI3 be a lean, polished follow-up, or a larger live-service beast with seasons, cosmetic shops, and monetization layered on top? The filing doesn’t say. Given industry trends, it’s reasonable to watch for systems that extend engagement (and revenue) well after launch.

Why now — and what to watch next

The timing makes sense. Dambuster has wrapped the core work on Dead Island 2 and is finishing ports; consolidating teams onto a new project is standard. The smart move for fans is to watch for more developer updates, hiring calls (big staffing pushes often signal ramp-up), or publisher communications about whether the 2028 window is calendar or fiscal. Also keep an eye on any hints about scope: are they talking single-player chapters and co-op, or seasons and live ops?

And yes, credit where it’s due: the document was first flagged by industry sleuth ‘bogorad222’ on X, which is usually where these corporate breadcrumbs show up first. That kind of community detective work matters — and it helps separate marketing spin from actual development signals.

TL;DR — The honest take

Dambuster has put Dead Island 3 front and center and some early production is underway. An internal Q1/Q2 2028 window is promising, but fiscal-year ambiguity and the inevitable risks of development mean you shouldn’t pencil this into your calendar yet. For now: be cautiously excited if you enjoyed Dead Island 2’s ridiculous, bloody fun — and keep an eye out for clearer timeline confirmations and details about scope and monetization.