According to the head of Undead Labs, development on State of Decay 3 hadn’t actually begun when the first trailer was shown. It’s been eight years since the last game and six years since the third installment was announced, and fans are now learning why it’s taking so long. It appears State of Decay 3 hasn’t been in continuous development for the entire time since its announcement.
Fans have been waiting a long time for State of Decay 3, but a closed alpha test will begin in May 2026, offering a first chance to play. While a full release date isn’t confirmed, it probably won’t be in 2026. Although players are eager for news, it’s good to see development progressing after a long period of quiet, and recent updates are starting to explain the delays.
State of Decay 3 Lead Says “There Really Wasn’t a Game” When Reveal Trailer Came Out
Philip Holt, the head of Undead Labs, recently explained to Sunny Games that when the first trailer for State of Decay 3 was shown, the game was still just an idea written out in a document. The trailer debuted in 2020 at the Xbox Games Showcase, and many assumed it would be one of the first games for the new Xbox Series X. However, Holt revealed that actual development hadn’t even started then. The team was very small – only four or five people – so the trailer was more of a demonstration of early ideas than actual gameplay.
The idea of zombie deer, which many fans noticed in the first trailer for State of Decay 3, has been cut from the game. While revealing this, Holt explained that as the developers at Undead Labs started seriously building and testing the game, some of the initial concepts didn’t work out. Although not everything from the early trailer will be included, Holt promises that some elements will still appear in the final version – just not zombie animals.
The delay between announcing State of Decay 3 and sharing new details now makes more sense. Four years passed between the first and second trailers because the developers didn’t have anything new to show immediately after the initial announcement. The team was still busy supporting and updating State of Decay 2, so significant work on the third game likely didn’t begin until more developers were available to start programming, designing, and writing content after the first teaser.
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Releasing a trailer before development is fully underway might seem odd, but it’s actually pretty common in the gaming world. Big games like GTA 6 and Cyberpunk 2077 are often announced early to attract investors and secure funding. While Undead Labs and State of Decay 3 might not be as massive as those titles, they still need to create excitement. Now that Undead Labs is owned by Microsoft, there’s likely pressure to make this game even bigger and better than the last, which means needing more resources. Either way, the long wait seems reasonable, and it looks like it might finally be ending.
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2026-04-06 19:35