State of Decay 3 is ‘coming on well’ Xbox boss says
Xbox says State of Decay 3 is progressing well behind the scenes, with studio boss Craig Duncan confirming he has played the game recently and teasing that fans will see much more of the long-awaited sequel in the coming year.
State of Decay 3 is “coming on well”.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, Craig Duncan - head of Xbox Game Studios - offered a rare development update on the zombie survival series, five years on from its initial announcement. While Duncan stopped short of teasing a fresh trailer or release window, he was keen to reassure fans that the project is moving in the right direction.
He said: “I’ve done a number of visits to that studio in the last six to eight months.
“I’ve sat and played the game with the team a bunch of times. It’s coming on really well. We’re very excited about the franchise and its potential.”
Pressed on whether players might see more of the game this year, Duncan joked that Xbox’s PR team would “murder” him if he said too much, before adding that he expects to “see a lot more of it in the coming year”.
It was a carefully worded tease, but one that suggests State of Decay 3 is edging closer to a more public re-emergence.
The sequel is being developed by Undead Labs, which has continued to support State of Decay 2 throughout the wait.
Since launch, the studio has delivered 38 major post-release updates for the second game, even while building its next entry.
Undead Labs has also grown significantly, reportedly employing several times more developers than it did during work on the original State of Decay.
First announced in 2020, State of Decay 3 last appeared publicly in 2024 with a brief trailer showcasing its bleak, zombie-infested open world.
While Xbox’s recent Developer Direct focused on nearer-term releases like Fable, Duncan’s comments suggest the survival franchise remains a priority.
