Finally State of Decay 2 was unveiled at E3 2016 and looks like they have scrapped the DayZ/H1Z1 etc MMO idea and decided to try and keep the story intact as well as choices having meaning as well as deaths and opted for 4 player co-op instead. I personally think this is a good idea as it will seperate itself away from the other zombie games coming out and not stray too far away from the originals concept (which I thought was great). Now with backing of Microsoft they have managed to overhaul the originals engine which was main factor that turned some off the first game.
State of Decay 2 will launch exclusively on Xbox One and Window 10. It's an Xbox Play Anywhere title so you'll be able to play across both with one purchase of the game. The new scheme means things like achievement and your progress will be synchronised across the two.
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In State of Decay 2 there is no single protagonist. Instead, you play as an entire community. The developer says that each survivor in the game is their own person with a mix of 'background traits, skills, and attitudes that determine what they can do, what they want, and what they are willing to do to get it'.
With this in mind, no two stories are alike in State of Decay 2 as the community and the collective choices will shape how the game plays. It's an open world game 'filled with dynamic zombie and human enemies, friendly survivors to recruit into your community, and valuable resources and gear necessary to keep your people alive'.
You can play State of Decay 2 solo but for the first time you can play four-play co-op multiplayer with your friends. You can invite them into your game or drop into theirs. Each player remains in charge of their own community of characters.
"Work together as you explore the deadly post-apocalyptic environment, watching each other’s backs and sharing the rewards of your accomplishments," says Undead Labs.
What's interesting is that it's not a server hosted MMO (massively multiplayer online) game, but it used to be. Undead Labs founder Jeff Strain told IGN that it wanted to give fans "exactly what they want," which is co-op multiplayer.
"This is not a session-based experience. It's drop-in/drop-out. They key thing that I want everybody to know is, it doesn't require you to be online. We've designed it very much with the intention of it being the easiest, most convenient type of multiplayer you can imagine," said Strain.