Zombie shooter State of Decay made a big impression when it hit the Xbox Live Arcade last year. Just one week after it launched in June 2013, it became XBLA's fastest-selling original game ever, raking in profits from more than half a million downloads. It later came to Steam, and between the two platforms, has sold more than one million copies.
It begs the question, "What's so special about yet another zombie shooter?" At first glance, it doesn't look all that different from Dead Island or Resident Evil, but there's more going on underneath this hood than you'd expect. State of Decay is built on the "build-and-defend" formula made popular by Minecraft, but where it differs is in its procedurally-generated, never-ending content, which means no two players ever have the same experiences. It also incorporates some very satisfying RPG elements.
Developer Undead Labs and Microsoft Studios have announced that the game and all of its DLC are being remade for Xbox One. State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition upgrades the experience to 1080p visuals, enhanced effects, new mission types, new weapons, new vehicles and more. Both the "Breakdown" and "Lifeline" DLC packs are being incorporated into the Survival Edition, including making their characters playable throughout the entire game.
The new edition will sell both digitally and as a retail disc for $29.99. It's expected to hit sometime in spring of 2015. Below you'll find the first screenshots from the Xbox One edition of State of Decay, which the developer stresses is "a long way" from the visual improvements you'll see in the final release. Undead Labs also hinted that a sequel is very likely in the works.
