After more than five years of post-launch support, State of Decay 2 will be receiving its final update later this year. In a recent post, developer Undead Labs confirmed that Update 38, which will be released sometime this year, will be the game's last update.
The reason should excite fans though. Undead Labs is working on State of Decay 3, so ending support for State of Decay 2 will allow them to shift the necessary resources toward their next game.
"We know you love this world we’ve created and the amazing community you’ve helped build. While you’ve enjoyed State of Decay 2 for many years, you may have heard that we are also hard at work on the next evolution of the franchise!" the developer wrote. "Our ambition is to make the greatest zombie survival sim in the franchise, and to do so, we’ll be shifting our focus and resources to making the upcoming third installment, State of Decay 3"
Update 38 will aim to fix some of the game's longstanding issues, implement more quality of life improvements, and permanently unlock seasonal or otherwise previously-gated content, such as Winter outfits and the Wizard Van. Any content that was previously seasonal, like Halloween masks or Winter-themed cosmetics) will be lootable in the world following the release of Update 38.
There's no exact release date for Update 38 as Undead Labs only stated that it's coming later this year. Undead Labs did say there may be at least one hotfix after Update 38. Unfortunately, the support system will be closed after Update 38 and Undead Labs will no longer be accepting bug reports. So if you find a bug after the final update, you'll need to contact Xbox Support.
It's worth noting that Undead Labs decision to end post-launch support doesn't mean its the end for State of Decay 2. The game will remain available and playable on all existing platforms, including Game Pass.
State of Decay 3 was announced all the way back in 2020 during the Xbox Games Showcase. Fans were treated to an official trailer — mostly of a cinematic cutscene — this past June.
Set years after a zombie apocalypse nearly wiped out humankind, State of Decay 3 is the next evolution in the State of Decay franchise. As the zombie threat continues to claim lives, you must fight back and reclaim lost ground, carving out a life for your community of survivalist homesteaders.
Other than the brief overview, not much else is known about State of Decay 3. Undead Labs promises more information on the game and its release at a later date.