Credit: Xbox
American studio Undead Labs, part of Xbox Game Studios, has shared the first news in a while about the ambitious zombie action game with survival elements, State of Decay 3.
The studio is preparing a series of public alpha tests for State of Decay 3. The tests begin in May, and you can sign up to volunteer through the official website.
Studio head Philip Holt explained how the third game differs from its predecessors: the first State of Decay took place a few weeks after the outbreak, while the second took place about a year later. In the third game, significantly more time has passed: the survivor communities have become more fortified, and the zombie threat has taken on new forms.
One of the significant changes is the transition from a peer-to-peer to a server-based architecture. In State of Decay 2, players were tied to the host: if they left the game, the session ended. In the third game, there will be no restrictions on player movement, and the “tie” will be significantly reduced. One player will be able to host a game, and others will be able to join and manage the community even when the session creator is offline. Undead Labs hasn’t yet confirmed exact player limits—the studio wants to test the server infrastructure first.
Six years after its announcement, State of Decay 3 still has no release date. The game is being developed for PC (Steam, Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X, and S.